The feelings of safety
by Liphuggers
Summary: Being in the arms of a lover is the feeling of safety... Much better story than it sounds! My first fanfic please review!
1. Finding out

Disclaimer: I own nothing… if I did like most would have had Eric and Calleigh together sooner.

A/N: takes place after the finale.

Also this is my first fan-fic. So I really need the feedback. Thanks!!

As Calleigh walked away from her boss and broke down crying, she thought about how foolish she was earlier today about arguing with Eric, her Eric. She knew couples had fights, hell looks at her parents. But she promised herself long ago that when she found "the one" she would do everything in her power to not have big fights that left both sides feeling angry. But she knew that there were a lot of guys she thought of as "the one". In their line of work they knew life was precious, they both learned the hard way, Eric getting shot in the head and Calleigh getting smoke inhalation.

"Eric, please, I'm sorry, come back to me in one piece. I'm sorry". Calleigh cried as she climbed up into her hummer. Her heart was breaking, fast.

Eric had a plan.

When he got shot in the arm and saw the face of the person that shot him, he couldn't believe it. Well, yes he could. He knew that his girlfriend was a great shot, but thankful she missed any major organs. Eric had to think quickly. Knowing the Russian Mob would be looking for him; he wiped the blood from his arm on the seat of the car, and had to crash his car. He told Alexander how to prepare for a crash so that he wouldn't be seriously hurt, just knocked out, and hopefully Horatio and the team would find him first.

Eric's car crashed, air bags deployed and he looked over at his father to make sure he was ok. He made his way to the water; he had to protect the gunshot wound from the bacteria that was in the water. So he took off his jacket and ripped part of his dress shirt off and tied it around the wound, then headed into the water. Just before he started to swim, a light breeze came over the water; Eric looked around, no sign of anyone.

He looked up to the sky and silently said into the wind, "Cal, I'm sorry. Don't worry I will come back to you in one piece. I love you with every fiber of my being". With that he went under water and looked for safety.

While driving her off duty car, Calleigh got this sudden feeling that Eric was ok, safe "You may be safe for now, but until your back in my arms, I won't feel safe". Calleigh thought about their relationship, friendship, partnership. I was a long and crazy eight years they have known each other. Her mind took her back to recent months, when she read his therapist notes. She knew he had been acting differently after he was shot, but never knew why. That proved to her that he has changed from his playboy days. She didn't know what to think of it, until she ended up in the hospital. When Calleigh looked at Eric's watch, she felt… safe knowing he was there looking after her at her most vulnerable state. But something else happened too… she realized that all those years of friendly flirting, was just the surface of something deeper, love.

Calleigh pulled into her driveway. She walked in her front door and smelt the remnants of this morning's breakfast, Eric had always loved to cook her dinner, and he told her his dad had said him that it was the man's duty to make a breakfast for those important women in a man's life. She sat down on the couch and just stared at the entertainment center. Pictures of her and her friends and family, she stood up and walked over to the picture of "the three amigos", Speed, Cal and Eric. It was taken at the department Christmas party six years ago. She missed Speedle, and she knew Eric did too; they talked about him often to keep his spirit with them. Then she glanced over to a picture collage that was the center piece over the tv. It was a big picture in the middle and eight smaller pictures around it. She picked it up and walked back over to the couch and sat down. The entire collage was of Calleigh and Eric pictures; they had other people take their picture, on the beach, at Disneyworld, at a club, at Eric's parent's house. But the middle picture, the picture she cherished the most was a picture that they took one lazy Saturday morning laying in bed kissing. Her finger padded across the glass over Eric's face, a hot tear escaped from her eye. "Eric, where are you?" She pushed herself off the couch and looked in her purse for her phone. She dialed Horatio's number,

"Caine"

"Hey Horatio, any new leads yet?"

"Calleigh, we are doing all we can to find him, I know he means a lot to you, he means a lot to me as well. But please trust me; if anything comes up I will contact you".

"Thank you H. I'll see you tomorrow".

"Ma'am, no disrespect, but I don't want you coming in tomorrow. Just take a personal day".

"Horatio, I am fine. Really."

"Calleigh, please take the day off".

"Horatio…"

"Calleigh, not another word. You're taking the day off and that is final".

"Fine. Thank you Horatio, and please if you hear…"

"I will. Oh and Ma'am, yours and Eric's secret is safe with me". He hung up.

All Calleigh could do was look at the phone with astonishment. She wondered how he knew about her and Eric. Who else knew? She looked at the pictures again and decided that a night alone would not be very good. She called Natalia and asked if she would sleep over because she needed to talk to someone. Nat said she would be over after she finished eating dinner and cleaned up. Calleigh took this opportunity to make dinner herself. Not really make dinner because she was just going to pop leftovers in the microwave. By the time Natalia came over Calleigh had finished dinner and was just putting her dishes in the dishwasher, Nat knocked on the door and walked in.

"Calleigh"

"In the kitchen, make yourself at home. Do you want something to drink?"

"Sure, do you have sweet tea?" Knowing the answer would be yes, she just loved when Calleigh made sweet tea".

"Of course".

Nat sat down noticing the picture frame collage upside down on the coffee table. She picked it up and looked at it. At first she looked shocked, but looking at the pictures she noticed that Eric wasn't the same Eric that she knew when they were going out. Calleigh came back in to the living room and stopped dead in her tracks.

"Oh My God"

"Calleigh, are you and Delko…"

"Nat, please don't say anything to anyone. We have kept this secret of a while and plan to keep it that way"

"You know Ryan had said something to me when we were working that airplane case".

"Ryan knows too"?

"Well he only thinks you too are having sex. Don't worry I won't say anything to anyone. You guys really look happy".

"We are, were. We still are, I think".

"You think"?

"Oh Nat, I'm so scared that he is dead".

"No, don't think like that, where's your woman intuition"?

"What do you mean".

"When a woman is in love…"

"Nat I'm not, I'm… not in…"

"You're telling me after all those years of being best friends and now being girlfriend and boyfriend that you are not in love with Eric Delko"?

"I…I never… We never… I don't know if I…" With her stuttering words the tears that were welling up in her eyes from the truth of her co-workers words started to fall. She hadn't realized she was in love with Eric until now.

"Nat, I'm so sorry". Calleigh said as she started to calm down

"Don't be. I think you two deserve each other".

"I can't believe I didn't know I am in love with him. This is a new feeling for me. I mean I said "I love you" to Jake but this feels different".

"I'm sure Eric loves you too; look him in these pictures, that's the face of a man in love".

Calleigh looked at her friend, smiled and thought about Eric. _So that's what this feeling is that I get every time I see him, or hear his voice, I love Eric, does he really love me too? If he does why didn't he say anything? _ She thought to herself.

Nat brought her back in from daydreaming but talking about the woman's intuition again.

"Have you had any vibes from him?"

"Vibes?"

"Yeah, could you feel him, hear him?"

"Well there was this thing that happened in the car, I didn't know how to explain it, but I felt as if Eric was in a safe spot".

"See? A woman in love can always feel when her man is in danger or safe".

"Yeah, but him being safe is being in my arms, come on lets go to sleep I'm really tired".

"Sure Cal".

And with that Calleigh put the picture frame back over the tv and said very softly so only she could hear it "I love you Eric Delko, please come back to me soon" and they walked down the hall to Calleigh's bedroom.


	2. Saying it

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

A/N: Sorry I kept you all waiting, I went to Virginia to my nieces baby shower and then Microsoft word gave out on me, so now I am using notepad, which I hate. Anyway, I hope this makes up for waiting...

Calleigh and Nat walk into Calleigh's bedroom. Nat stops dead in her tracts and takes the sight in. Calleigh's bedroom was big and neat, there was a gun locker in the corner, of course, typical "bullet girl". What Nat could only imagine as Calleigh's side of the bed was neat and orderly. Eric's however, was not. Yesterday's clothes bunched up in the corner and an empty water glass on the end table. Callleigh apologized and quickly picked up, and started to get ready for bed. The room smelled like a mixture of the two of them, vanilla and a nice semi-expensive Cuban cologne. Nat couldn't help but smile, she knew that scent well. Calleigh finished getting ready for bed and said the left side of the bed was hers but Natalia could take it and she would sleep on Eric's side. Natalia got ready for bed and climed in next to Calleigh, who was face down in Eric's pillow breathing in his scent.

Rubbing her back Nat said "Cal, it's going to be ok, we are going to find him".

"I know, but I want him back before his scent fades away".

"Sure, listen I know you said you were tired, and I totally get that, but you are not working tomorrow and neither am I. Let's play the game where I say a word and you say the first thing that comes to mind".

"Oh, Nat, i'm really tired"

"Please Calleigh, just for a little, till I get tired".

"Alright, let's play"

"Ok, umm, let's start easy, dog"

"friend"

"guns"

"bullets"

"cat"

"Kevin"

Nat looks at Calleigh with shock, "Who the hell is Kevin"?

Calleigh laughs a little, "Kevin was my cat when I was a little girl, he lived to be 18, he died when I went to college. He was the sweetest, most loveable, fat cat I ever saw".

"Oh, I was going to say... Ok umm beach".

"Swimming"

With a raised eyebrow Nat continued "diving"

"Sexy Cuban CSI's"

They both laughed at Calleigh's answer. "One word answers Cal".

"Ok, ok, adventure".

"Really, adventure? Underwater stuff scares me, although if Eric was teaching me..."

"Hey, hey hey, my Eric, has been in underwater recovery for a long time, and he said he is taking me soon. He's told me so many stories like on his days off he goes diving and finds shipwrecks or just goes and swims with the fish. He says its beautiful".

"Wow, he never did that for me, but then again he didn't look at me the way he looks at you".

Calleigh couldn't help but blush roll her eyes and look away, "let's continue the game".

"Love"

"Eric"

"Calleigh! Oh my God, can you stop being in love for five mintues"?

"I'm sorry, now that I realize what that feeling is, I can't help it".

"Calleigh Duquesne, I am seeing a new side of you, all these emotions. Do you let Eric see this side"?

"No. Not really, we've had little tiffs about it, but the weird thing is, I feel my walls I built crumbling down for him a little each day".

"Ah, a woman in love..."

"What was it like for you and Nick? Did you know you were in love with him"?

"There was a time where I fell in love, but then he started beating me, and I did't understand how a man that told me he loved me so much everyday could do this to his wife. I never felt that unconditional love for Nick. There were parts of me that wouldn't totally let myself fall for him. It was just a realtionship based on sex that turned into what I thought was love". Nat started to choke up, she held back her tears and looked Calleigh in the eye and said "You are different, You two started as friends first. Plus I believe Eric has been in love with you for years".

"Really"?

"Yeah, I noticed something different about the way he looked at you after he was shot. Much softer, like he realized that his old lifestyle of woman to woman wasn't fulfilling enough, like he wants a wife, the whole white wedding, a house with a white picket fence, and kids".

Calleigh looked around the room and shook her head "Remember the case with the therapist?"

"Yeah, what about it"?

"I helped him go through the files to try to help the case, I read his, he had told her I was safe. That after he was shot he thought a lot about things, about settling down... He said it would be nice if he could settle down with..." she swallowed hard, smiled and continued, "with me".

"Oh, wow, see Cal. He's head over heels".

Calleigh looked concerned and said "I don't think I'm the settling down type. With my past, I don't think I can tell Eric that I love him, I screw up every relationship that I'm in up, I don't want to lose him".

"You are, and you will tell him on your own time, when it's right for you to say. I don't think he will let you go, if he knows whats good for him". Her eyes darted over to the gun locker.

They shared a laugh and Nat yawned.

"Thanks Nat, you're really a true friend".

"You're Welcome. Now I'm tired, good night, sweet dreams"!

"Good night Nat".

Calleigh heard Natalia drift into dreamland, and Calleigh thought about telling Eric she loved him, and drifted off to sleep. Calleigh dreamt that Eric came back, they apologized to each other, he ate some of her food, and left to go back into hiding. But before he crept back into the blackness, he kissed her forehead.

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The next day Calleigh and Natalia wake up at noon, feeling like the day is half wasted (because of the hour they go to work) they say goodbye. Calleigh goes about her business, missing Eric, hoping and praying he's safe. Thinking about her dream she smiled. She looked in the fridge to see what she could make for lunch. She could have sworn she had the makings for a turkey club sandwich, oh well she made herself some soup and cleaned the kitchen. She didn't know how it gotten dirty since last night. She went to the nail salon to get a pedicure, something she had no time to do during her busy schedule, then went food shopping. She went home and made dinner and thought it would be a good idea to go to bed early, get a good night sleep.

A noise coming from the kitchen woke Calleigh up, she looked over at the clock on Eric's side of the bed, 2:30 am. She grabbed her off duty gun from the bed side table, and tip-toed into the kitchen. Calleigh flipped on the light while yelling "MDPD freeze"!

The burglar had their head in the fridge and started to laugh, "Duquesne, put the gun down, you don't want to shoot your own boyfriend do you"?

Hearing that familiar smooth tone of the burglar Calleigh gasped and stood in shock. Eric pulled his head out of the fridge and looked at her. He shut the door and walked over to her frozen body. He noticed her eyes were rimming with tears, ready to fall but never doing so. She couldn't speak all she could do was wrap her arms around him and embrace him in a big hug. She sees his wound and immediatly looked up at him "Oh, Eric, I'm sorry".

"Don't be, I should be sorry for not telling you the truth, and its the best wound I ever got, my girlfriend is an ok shot"!

"Ok, OK?!? I'll let you know mister that I am the best shot in Miami, probably all of Florida"!

"Mmm, I have a wound on my arm that begs to differ sweetheart". Eric said with a smile and leans down to kiss her. She lets him once, but when he goes in for a second she turns away.

"Eric, what the fuck were you doing with Alexander? You are very lucky my shooting was off due to your stupid erratic driving! You're an idiot! I could have killed you! Ugh, did you get your wound looked at"? She asked trying to calm down and turning to look at his wound.

"No, I tried to keep it from getting too much bacteria in it from the Glades". Looking down knowing everything she just said was true. "Will you bandage me up? Please"?

Looking at him with those eyes, she rolled her eyes and got her first aid kit out of her bathroom. She also came back to the kitchen with a new shirt, pants, underwear and socks. Calleigh fixed up Eric's wounds and he changed. She looked in the fridge for what he was eatting, it was a ham and cheese sandwich he had made with the fixings she bought earlier that day. She smiled and thought about her dream. When Eric came back in from changing she said "You were in my dream last night. You ate my sandwich that I thought I had and wanted it this afternoon. Did you do this last night too"?

Eric looked down at his feet and then walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, "Guilty, but it was a long day and didnt have anywhere else to get food. Plus I had to come and make sure my beautiful girlfriend was safe. When I saw she was and was having a sleepover I couldn't resist but to give the most beautiful woman I had ever seen a kiss".

"You mean it was real"?

"A light kiss on the forehead".

"Oh Eric, why didn't you wake me"?

"I didn't want to wake up Nat, plus you needed to sleep".

They share a very long kiss, tongues dueling. Eric reluctantly pulls away first and looks at the clock 3:56 am "I have to leave babe".

"No, I'm not losing you again. Please, I can't lose you again".

"You're not losing me, the sun is going to be coming up soon".

"Eric, stay with me, we will call Horatio".

"No Calleigh! Horatio must not know I was here. You weren't even supposed to know I was hear. I've put you in so much danger by you catching me". He was getting mad because the sun would be coming up and then he would surely be found by the Russians.

"Stop being an idiot. I'm not letting you walk out that door. Eric I... I have something to tell you". She said getting upset andlooking down, her head was screaming "not yet, don't say it yet, not while he's mad and you're upset".

"What Calleigh, what on earth could you possibly say to me that you haven't said in the past hour and a half that we've been here"? He said still angry.

She looked at him and then back down, Eric started to move towards the door.

"Thanks for the food, I won't come back until it's safe for your wellbeing. Oh and don't tell Horatio". He turned to look at her, her head hanging and he could tell he had made her cry because she was shaking. How he wanted to stay with her, tell her he loved her, say he was sorry over and over again, make love to her. But right now he had to go, he left out her back door and into the darkness.

Calleigh ran out onto her deck and screamed into the dark night, "Eric, I love you"!

Eric heard the three words he had always longed to hear out of her mouth. He was still teeted but ran back to her. "You what"?

"Nat and I talked and I found out I am in love with you"! She told him, her green eyes sparkling up into his brown ones. They moved back into her kitchen.

"You told Nat about us"? Getting mad again.

"She had a feeling, and I was upset, she helped me work out what the feeling I had for you was".

"And by feeling you mean love"? He said sounding a bit annoyed

"Yes, I love you Eric! That feels so good to say".

"Cal, I don't understand you had to have someone other than me help you figure out that you were in love with me? That makes no fucking sense"!

"Eric, calm down, It's different".

"How is our love different from Jake Berkley, or Peter Elliot, or John Hagan or Jake Berkley? You had absolutely no problems figuring out your emotions for them by yourself"! He said fuming realizing he said Jakes name twice knowing she loved him the most out of the three.

"I never loved Peter! How dare you bring my past into this when I can easily do the same to you, but your list is so long and I would'nt even know half the girls names because you probably don't either. I'm sorry I had a rotten childhood, that I never knew what love was, or the feeling of safety". She was screaming, and so angry. He looked down knowing he picked at a scab that shouldn't have been picked. "I met Jake and John and sure I said I loved them rather quickly, but it was an empty phrase, I didn't really mean it. But when I said that I loved you just now, I ment it with all my heart, with all my being. I love you Eric Delko, I have never felt this way about another person. I feel safe with you, like nothing can hurt me when I'm with you". She was mad and had tears welling up in her eyes threating to fall, she looked at him waiting for him to say something, a tear fell and she looked down at her feet.

Eric looked at her with sorry eyes, he couldn't take it anymore, he was sorry for making her feel that way. He never wanted her to feel that way. He walked over to her and picked her chin up with his finger, "Sweetheart, Quierda..."

He pressed his lips to hers, she pulled away and looked at him, another tear fell and she kissed him back. The kiss was nothing like either had ever experienced in their lives. Hard, but soft. It was undiscribable. So much love poured into this kiss, his hands traveled from her hips up her sides and back down to her hips. He moved them to the counter behind them, Calleigh let out a gasp as her backside touched the edge of the counter. Her hands on his chest, how she loved how hard his chest was she moved them to around his neck to pull him down more. His kisses, his touches, his body, his being drove her wild. He lifted her up onto the counter top and she broke the kiss. Calleigh rested her forehead on his, he moved and started to kiss right below her ear, she moved her head to the side to give him more room, he traveled down to her chest. She leaned back against the cabinet behind her and moved one hand to his chest and slightly pushed him away. She went to take off his shirt to get more skin, he stopped her and she looked confused, but he looked at her and frowned.

"Beautiful, I have to go".

She loved when he called her beautiful, no one else had called her that, and she felt she was on cloud nine when he did. "No, babe, stay, please".

"Cal, its getting lighter out. But I promise..." He kissed her, and she kissed back. "I promise I will continue soon".

Calleigh nods, knowing she couldn't change his mind. He helped her down and they kissed again. Eric goes out the back door again and disappears into the darkness. She hears him leave but comes back still hidden in the dark, she gets nervous thinking maybe the mob found him but instead hears him say to her "Calleigh Duquesne, I love you too, always have, always will".

She smiled widely and went back into her house. "You better keep your promise about continuing what you started. I love you Eric, please be safe"! She knew she would never fall back to sleep now so made a pot of her favorite coffee, Cafe Cubano. She got in the shower and started to get ready for work. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry folks, it's been a while since I've written. I had a lot going on a friend's wedding then I had to go to my parent's house for a diabetic checkup. I promise next chapter will live up to the M rating!! On with the story!**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own anything. Nothing.**

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Driving to work Calleigh flipped on the radio, of course the country station was on, Calleigh sings along, to Heidi Newfield, "They don't make love like that anymore is that too much to be asking for? I want a love like Johnny and June, rings of fire burning with you, I wanna walk the line, walk the line 'Till the end of time, I wanna love, Love ya that much, Cash it all in, Give it all up, When you're gone, I wanna go too, Like Johnny and June, Like Johnny and June, And when we're gone, There'll be no tears to cry, Only memories of our lives, They'll remember, remember, A love like that." She really loved that song and had secretly hoped that her and Eric's love would pan out to be like Johnny Cash and June Carter-Cash's. It already felt like it was, but instead of drugs being Eric's cause for not being totally into the relationship it was the Russian Mob keeping him from her. She knew he was ok but still worried.

_What if they found him, what will happen? Am I going to be in danger now too? How can we get the mob to get off our backs so we can have a life?_

She went into work with a little bit of a smile on her face, remembering about what almost happened between Eric and herself the night before. She loved when he just had to have her right then and there whether it be in bed, on the front door, the couch, up against the refrigerator or outside under the stars on her back porch. It was so spontaneous, so romantic, so thrilling, so… not herself. She loved it, she loved that Eric could do that to her, make her feel like that. No other man had made her feel this way; she was definitely in love, and falling harder with each passing day. She was blushing thinking about all their sexual encounters, that she didn't even realize that Ryan was talking to her.

"Calleigh, Calleigh, earth to Calleigh"

"Oh, Ryan, sorry I was thinking about… I was thinking how to find Eric"

"Mmmhmm, I don't think you were thinking about that because you were blushing, I'm sure you were thinking about Eric"

Suddenly Ryan felt an elbow in his stomach and a woman's voice saying very sharply "shut up dummy" in his ear.

"Hey Nat, Ryan I was thinking about Eric but only because he's my best friend. I really want him safe, we are like family."

"Hey are we chopped liver?" Ryan said knowing she and Eric had been very close since before he became part of the CSI "family".

"Ryan you know what she means, she just has worked with Eric more than we have and she knows more about him then we do."

"Thanks Natalia, what have we got this morning?" Calleigh and Nat walked away from Ryan and they talked about the new case all the way to the DNA lab.

"So I'm thinking when she was giving herself insulin, the husband got on her nerves and she just continually stabbed him with the needle and then emptied the syringe into him causing him to go into a diabetic shock from too much insulin."

"Hmm, yea but what about the gunshot wound in her arm. I'm going to do some test firing, see ya around"

"Ok, hey Cal?"

"Yea"

"You seem happier today, something happen after I left?" she lowers her voice and comes closer to Calleigh, "Did you find him?"

Calleigh smirked and looked at her, "um yea it was a dream though" she lied "he came back and I checked out his wound. I gave him food, rather he stole my food" She looked at Natalia and gave her best smile, the one she usually gives when she says she's fine but not, hoping Nat wouldn't know the difference between her dream and reality.

"Wow, I really do wish we can find him Cal. Horatio was talking to someone about Eric, every time I tried to listen he turned away and spoke softer. Maybe he knows something"

"I'll check it out. Thanks Nat. I'll be in ballistics if you need me."

Calleigh walked down the hall to her lab. She saw Horatio and smile one of her best Southern Belle smiles. He smiled back, but quickly it faded. He signaled her to come into his office. He stands with his hands on his hips, feet spread apart, looking out the window. She walks in and she starts to say hello, but he interrupted her.

"Ma'am, you seem happier today, did you have a good day off?"

"Um, yes I guess I did."

"Did you happen to see Eric?"

Her stomach seemed a little uneasy by his question, but she didn't skip a beat, and remembered what Eric said, _don't tell Horatio_. "No, I haven't, have you, have you heard anything about him?"

"He looked around at the lab just a few stairs below, and lowered his voice "I can't say much, but we did spot him last night. He doesn't want to be found by the Russians, we want to put some kind of a tail on him to ensure his safety. But the bottom line is he is ok, but you knew that". He tilted his head and looked at her with his eyebrow raised and slight smile.

She looked at him and smiled. "The next time I see him I'll tell him about it and see what he says." He nodded and smiled she smiled again and walked out of his office and into her lab. She had a lot to think of, the case they were working on, Eric, seeing Eric, talking to Eric… _Calleigh focus on the case right now, Eric is ok. Hopefully he will come back tonight, _she told herself_._ She did some test firing for the case and then did some shooting of her own; to get rid of some anger she was building up from this case and from Eric. She never brought personal matters into work but she couldn't help it, she never felt this way about any other boyfriend, and no other boyfriend has ever been in this predicament.

Calleigh's test firing confirmed that it was a Smith and Wesson .40 Caliber. They didn't find it in the house but found the family dog digging something up in the backyard. The case was slowly unfolding but didn't have the killer and why.

By the time Calleigh was ready to leave they had a killer and why. The wife's guy friend, who was also became her lover was jealous and wanted the husband gone. But the husband found out and caught them in the kitchen; he meant to shoot at the lover but missed and grazed his wife's arm. The lover became so enraged that he picked up her insulin syringe and stabbed him and then released the insulin into his body killing him from having too much insulin in his body. Jealousy is always a killer.

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Even though when she and Eric where fighting he said that he wouldn't come back Calleigh wasn't sure if that was due to him being angry or if he really meant it. She had made a sandwich and left a note in the fridge incase he did come home to her in the middle of the night. The note read: "_My Eric, I made this sandwich for you because I'm sure you are hungry. I miss you so much. Are you ok? Sleeping well? Finding places to hide out? Your scent is almost completely gone from your pillow, I don't like it, and I want you here with me. I need you here with me. Horatio knows that you came and saw me, he wants to put a tail on you, which I think is a good idea, but then again… I'm sorry for rambling, but I miss you, need you here, safe with me in my arms. I love you, always. Forever yours, Cal"_

He didn't show up that night, or the night after. She made new sandwiches every night, hoping, praying he would come and at least eat. She was worried; she hadn't heard or seen from him in a couple of days, until one night.

That day had been stressful and plus not hearing from Eric made it worse. Calleigh was in deep sleep, dreaming. _Her shot rang out and then she saw his face. She froze. They found his crashed car and Sharova in the passenger's seat, but this time something was different, very different. There was more blood. Sharova had said that Eric was complaining about his arm hurting and he was not breathing well, he stumbled to the water to clean up. Calleigh walked over to the water, and there he was laying face down. The paramedics tried to revive him, they used everything they had, but to no avail._ Calleigh tried her hardest to wake up from this nightmare of hers. The dream continued. _The autopsy showed that the fragmented bullet that was still lodged in Eric's temporal lobe, had shifted due to the shot in his arm, he apparently hit his head hard and the bullet shifted and was able to get out of the car and get to the water. It was all Calleigh's fault; if she hadn't shot him he wouldn't be dead. Calleigh had asked to have time alone with Eric's body. She cried and told him she was sorry. His body suddenly rose to a sitting position. She couldn't believe this was happening, she didn't believe in this. He turned to her and said "you killed me; I thought you loved me, but you killed me". He said that over and over, she was screaming. "No, Eric, I do love you, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Eric, _ERIC!!!" The last time she yelled his name she was woken up out of her nightmare. She was sitting up in bed, she was sweating, her sheets where wet, and her tank top that she wore to bed was wet as well. Her breathing was erratic and she needed a drink of water.

She noticed the time 3:56 am the same time as when she and Eric where fighting the last time she saw him. She reluctantly got out of bed to refill her glass of water, she opened up the fridge to get the water purifier out, and then she noticed it. The sandwich was gone and there was a new note with that oh so familiar handwriting. She picked it up and started to read it.

**Sorry about the cliff hanger but I wanna keep you interested!!**

**Please R&R, I really love the comments, bad and good! Please please review tell me what you think!**

**I promise M rated stuff is coming!!!**


	4. feeling safe for a bit

Ch. 4

**Sorry this chapter is late I've been somewhat depressed lately and this chapter was a little bit harder than anticipated. I hope you like it! Please read and review, I like hearing what you think, it gives me ideas. Tell me if I should continue or not. Thanks, Margaret.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

Calleigh started reading the note and felt it was better to read in bed where she was better prepared for what the note entailed. She grabbed her glass of water and walked very fast back to her bedroom. She got settled in bed again and started reading the note from her lover. "_Querida, mi amor, I miss you more and cannot wait to touch you, kiss you, and finish what we started in the kitchen some nights ago. Thank you babe for the sandwich, it was good, it is hard to eat on the run. Hiding is hard but I'm getting by, don't worry. I figured my scent off the pillow would be gone, I miss your scent, vanilla, and it always has such an effect on me. It makes me want to push you up against the wall and ravish you. We should try that one night, or have we done that? Sleeping is hard because I'm keeping a watch out too. Ask H if a tail is put on me, can I see my girlfriend? See she has been scared for me and I don't blame her, but she has been lacking the Cuban love lately. See my girlfriend, once she gets home from work can't go without my tender touches and light chaste kisses, she sits and watches TV with her legs draped over my lap while my hand lightly moves up and down on the inside of her thigh. My blonde haired, green eyed southern belle loves when my hand slips and lightly touches her vagina and clit over her clothes and then travels upward to her stomach where I trace funny shapes or write notes that she can never figure out with my fingers underneath her shirt. At this time my beautiful lady grabs my hand and leads us to the bedroom where we both help undress each other slowly and we take turns of taking control of the evening. She loves when I'm in control, she becomes speechless. The first time we made love, it was beautiful, I'm a little too big for her but she has really come to enjoy it. I love her very much, and have for many years. My love, I want to wake you up so badly because right now I really want to be with you, my pants are getting very tight. I need you, and I'm sure you need me too. I wish this whole thing with the Russians was all over with. I love you, thanks for the sandwich and the hard-on! My heart is forever yours, Eric". _

After reading his note and remembering all those nights after they ate dinner laying on the couch she had to relieve herself of all that pent up sexual energy. She, being a modest southern woman that she was, never needed toys or any sex things like that, but after the case with the concierge and the married women when she saw the edible undies she kind of wanted to see what they were about and while she was at the adult store she looked at the vibrators and bought it, who knows how long it would be till she had sex. Calleigh went into her bedside table drawer, next to her off duty gun was a little black pouch, she pulled out the sparkly blue vibrator and reached over to Eric's night table draw for their lube. She pushed her underwear out of the way and inserted the vibrator and turned it on. It didn't feel the same anymore. She was used to Eric's size and it just wasn't pleasing her enough, but it got the job done. She went to the bathroom, peed and cleaned up. Calleigh wanted and needed Eric back, not just because of the sex (although that was a very big plus) she missed his arms wrapped around her comforting her, whispering sweet nothings in her ear as she went to sleep. She missed talking to him about everything and anything. She needed her best friend. Calleigh went to sleep, crying, her heart breaking because she never thought she could ever love anyone this much that it hurt this deep not to have him near her every day.

Calleigh was headed into work the next day and was not feeling well due to the fact that she was crying all night. Her eyes were puffy and a little bloodshot. Natalia had caught sight of her and asked her what was wrong. Calleigh being her regular self said that nothing was wrong and that she was fine. Calleigh ran into her lab to catch up on paperwork from yesterday. Horatio had come in to see if she was alright and to give her a heads up on today's case. Since Calleigh was face to face with Horatio she took the opportunity to ask him about Eric seen his girlfriend if there was to be a tail on him. Horatio said "Yes Eric can see his girlfriend, as long as she's OK with being watched as well, which I have no doubt that she will be." He offered her a slight smile. Calleigh didn't have to think about it, she told Horatio that Eric wouldn't mind having a tail on him, with that he called for a tail to be put on one CSI Delko, and to have security at CSI Duquesne's house. Calleigh wondered why but figured since H knew she and Eric are a couple, it was probably to keep her safe.

The day dragged on and all Calleigh wanted to do was to just go home put on sweatpants and Eric's U of Miami sweatshirt on and go for a run and then shower and go to sleep. Natalia was in the break room where Calleigh was refilling her coffee.

"Hey you, how are you?"

"Nat, to tell you the truth, I'm not doing too well. I miss Eric so much it hurts, I haven't been sleeping well because… because I'm scared for him and I've become so used to him sleeping next to me, his arms around me, making me feel safe, like nothing can harm me."

Natalia couldn't say anything right away, her friend was hurting and she didn't know how to console her. "Everything will turn out alright, just give it time, we need to stop the mob first."

"I can't keep waiting for things to happen, I need results, I need Eric, and I need my feeling of safety." With that she took her coffee and left the break room and back to where she could finish up some of today's paperwork. Calleigh finished her work and walked out of the building to her car. She got in and closed her eyes and leaned back in her seat. She took a deep breath in and exhaled in a big sigh. Maybe she would take the day off tomorrow and just relax. She started the car and headed for home.

When she turned her key in the door, Calleigh knew there was something wrong, well not wrong but different from when she left this morning. Her blinds were all shut and there was a glow like from a fire coming from the dining room. She unhooked her gun holster and placed her hand on her gun as she walked into her living room and then into the dining room. She was taken back a bit when she saw the glow of fire was from dozens of candles all around the room, flowers on the table, and two table settings. She still looked confused and walked towards the kitchen where there were wonderful smells of a nice dinner emitting from. When she walked in she looked around the kitchen and saw the most delicious site she had seen in days. A caramel skinned man in her apron, and only an apron, cooking dinner.

"Eric…" she said as a lump in her throat overcame her from saying anymore. Her eyes began to water and she looked up and down his beautifully toned practically naked body.

Eric slightly turned so he could see her, flashed his infamous Delko smile and turned back to the food he was making. "Querida, go change into something more comfortable".

"Wha- what are you doing here? What about the Russians?"

Eric turned around and faced her "Sweetheart, there are tails on us and officers basically surrounding your house so that we can have one night with virtually no worries. Now please dinner will be ready shortly." He came closer to her and put his hand on her cheek, and leaned in for a kiss. Both kept their eyes open for the kiss, which turned into a couple of short sweet kisses, Eric hugged her and spun her around to face the opposite way and then hugged her from behind and said into her ear in a very low voice "change into that dress you had on when we were supposed to go to that nice Italian restaurant, but never made it out of the house!" Eric gave her a light push and snapped a towel on her butt, smiled and turned back to the dinner he was preparing.

She gave a look of surprise, _how'd he know the tails had been put on them already, _but when she turned back she caught his smile and then was admiring the view of her boyfriend nude under her apron.

"Go Cal."

"Ok, ok I'm going. It's just I'm loving the view." She took a deep breath in and walked into her bedroom and changed.

Calleigh walked back into her kitchen where her very sexy Cuban boyfriend was facing the stove, she wrapped her arms around him and tried to look over his shoulder. "Why are you naked in my apron?" she asked in her sweetest southern accent.

"I needed to clean the clothes I was wearing and didn't feel like putting anything else on. Plus I knew you'd be home soon. Let's eat babe".

They sat down at the dining room table, surrounded by candles. He sat at the head of the table and she sat to the left of him, they ate spaghetti and looked at each other lovingly. Eric had a bit of sauce right above his lip; Calleigh laughed and got it off for him by kissing him. "What? Sauce?" Eric said.

"Yes, why are you always so messy when you eat?"

Eric put his hand high on her thigh and squeezed it, "I don't know, how did I ever get so lucky to have you as my girlfriend?"

Calleigh blushed and smiled and continued to eat, Eric leaned in and kissed her. "Sauce?" she said feeling slightly embarrassed.

"No." He said in a low seductive voice, "I just missed you, missed kissing you, I missed holding you at night." He looked at her and then looked down at his plate and smiled.

She looked at him and said "Eric, I missed you too, I get scared when I don't hear from you. I miss your arms at night; I miss your voice being the last thing I hear at night and the first thing I hear in the morning."

He grabbed her hand and pulled her into his lap, he kissed her until the need for oxygen was too great. She looked at him with a serious face and switched her position so she was now straddling him. In between her peppered kisses on his lips, his jaw line, behind his ear and his neck she asked "How did you… know about the tails… I just asked… Horatio today?"

He tried to talk but her kissed were so unbelievable, "Well you see, I uhh called H and uhh told him I needed uhh to cook my beautiful lady a dinner and I uhh owed her a night of…"

"You called H?" she interrupted and stopped kissing him.

Missing her kisses, and looking at her, he knew he had to answer her or he'd never get to have his romantic night with her. He shifted so he was sitting up straighter which made Calleigh's dress slide a little upward giving him a small view of her black lacey underwear. He just looked at her underwear and then figured it was not a good idea if he didn't want to get in trouble. "Calleigh, I couldn't take it any longer, after that note I left you I realized that I can't do this on my own, I need help. So I had to call H, and told him the situation and said that I needed to protect you. He told me it will be handled and told me to make a romantic dinner for my sweetheart. Oh, you also have tomorrow off." He winked at her and smiled.

Calleigh looked at him smiled, rolled her eyes and said in her thickest drawl she could muster up, "Shut up and kiss me."

The corners of Eric's mouth curved upwards and slowly but passionately kissed his girlfriend while moving his hands up her legs, over her knee caps and onto her thighs. He slowly moved his hands up her thighs but then retreating ever so slightly, getting a little bit higher every time. Calleigh moans into Eric's mouth wanting to make love to her boyfriend, and knowing full well he was teasing her; she'll get back at him, for sure.

Eric pushed Calleigh's dress strap down to kiss her shoulder, he reached around the back of her and slowly, almost torturously slow he unzipped her dress. He slipped his hands over to her shoulders and tenderly moved his hands down her arms bringing her sexy black dress with it. _New bra Delko, your girlfriend got a new bra, black lace with little pink bows._ "New bra Cal?"

She sat back on his knees with her back against the table and put her elbows on the table to support her. She looked stunning, breasts brazen in the bra. "I got it for you but I didn't think you'd notice, thought you'd be too occupied to really care."

"I always notice you, you're so beautiful. I love you."

She put her head down a bit and blushed, smiled and looked at him and said "Eric, I love you too." She leaned into him and kissed him, she reached for his neck and grabbed the apron and pulled it over Eric's head, breaking the kiss for just a minute to get it over his head. He grabbed her ass and got up off the chair, Calleigh let out a little yelp and giggled, he put her back down on the ground and the apron slipped right off Eric and Calleigh looked his naked body up and down and licked her lips. Eric had to have her right then and there but reminded himself he wanted to take his time tonight, for who knew when they would get to spend another night like this with the Russians still looking for him. Eric picked his girlfriend up and she wrapped her legs around him and kissed him all the way into her bedroom. "Eric, the candles."

"You're really going to worry about them now?"

"Please, babe?"

Eric's head fell to his chest and he got up, blew out the candles and came back into the bedroom, where Calleigh had had the liberty of taking off the last piece of clothing herself. She was propped up on her side much like posing for a centerfold in Playboy. Eric leapt onto the bed and growled, which caused roaring laughter from both of them, but it soon became serious when Eric leaned on his arm so he was slightly above Calleigh's body; he brushed Calleigh's hair with his fingers and kissed her. He climbed on top of her, kissing his way down her body, her mouth, her neck, her collar bone and the space between her breasts. He took one of her nipples into his mouth, flicked his tongue around it and softly bit it; he took her other nipple and rolled it between his fingers. Calleigh moaned, and arched her back. Eric nipped a bit harder at her nipple and pulled ever so gently, keeping his mouth where he knew she needed him for now, his other hand voided her breast and traced a line from the bottom of her breast to her belly button, swirled around it twice and continued its slow and tickling descent down to her wet, hot core. He put one finger into the outer core and just slid his finger up and down, causing Calleigh's breath to hitch because he kept touching her clit and going over where she needed him the most. Eric's two fingers slid into her hot, aching core, and began to pump in and out slow at first but getting faster as Calleigh's moans got louder. Eric moved from Calleigh's breast to watch her face as he continued his ministrations on the lower part of her body, he loved to watch how he affected her, he kissed her and he hit "the spot" as she moaned into the kiss and opened her eyes. Eric's erection was growing bigger and Calleigh could feel it on her leg. Her green eyes were sparkling with lust, passion and something new, love, she wanted him in her but loved foreplay as well. Calleigh's one knee bent up and she pushed into him, which made Eric's fingers penetrate her just that much further. Calleigh couldn't take much longer and Eric knew it, with his thumb he found her clit, while slowing the pumping of his fingers he circled nub of nerves a few times and that was it, Calleigh's lower body raised up and her head went further into the pillow and one hand gripped the sheets and the other the back of Eric's head she was moaning so much that made Eric more hard then he ever thought he could be. Calleigh came and Eric couldn't take it any longer, he had to be inside her, feeling her as her orgasm came on.

As he was about to enter her, Calleigh flipped him on his back, he was shocked, but in reality loved when she took control. She smiled a Siren's smile and kissed her way down, he watched as she got to his chest, to his defined stomach, where she took her time kissing and running her fingers over his abs. Her touch made his stomach flutter, she looked at him and cocked her eyebrow and continued her journey down towards his erection. His breath was getting shorter and he was starting to moan as she reached the base of his penis, her tongue swiped along his long, hard shaft up to the top of his head. Calleigh's tongue swirled around his head and then she took him into her mouth "Querida, mierda!" As Calleigh continued taking him in as far as she could without totally gaging, when she got down as far as she could she turned her head to the side as she came back up his shaft, she also scraped her teeth lightly as she came up giving him that added friction, he moaned. His moans were getting louder his eyes were squeezed shut and his breath was hitching every so often. Almost at the point of no return, Eric was about to stop Calleigh when she stopped herself, she crawled her way back up to his face where she straddled him and waited till his breath wasn't so erratic. He opened his eyes to the most beautiful sight, his little blonde sex kitten. He pulled her down to his luscious lips; he took hold of her hips and asked her if she was ready. Calleigh nodded and smiled and lightly nipped his bottom lip and pulled it, she reached between them and guided him into her.

He knew her routine by now. Just the tip of the penis in first as to give a little teasing start, then a little more but stop so she could get used to his size that was filling her completely she let out a gasp and then she finished lowering herself onto him, letting out a lot of smaller gasps as her eyes slammed shut and her body tensed. "You alright sweetheart?" They both knew that Calleigh couldn't say anything as she adjusted to him, she playfully slapped his bronze chest and then opened her eyes, she said in a thick southern seductive voice, "Ride 'em Cowboy." They moved in perfect unison, moaning and voices hitching. She moved a different way and it was the perfect spot, Eric moved his hips faster and faster as the bed crashed again and again against the wall. "Eric… oh God… yes" Calleigh yelled, this egged Eric on to go faster and go deeper, Calleigh was reduced to moans due to the intensity of the coiled up tension in her lower abdomen. Eric tucked and cradled Calleigh and flipped her on her back, Calleigh's eyes shot open and the sudden need for his lips on hers was just too great. She reached up and grabbed his shoulders, scrapping her nails down his back and then up to his head, where she almost too forcibly pulled him down to her lips. When she did that and he was inches from her he slammed his cock into her and her head went back against the pillow making her arch her back, this gave Eric the perfect area of skin to lightly nibble on until she was moving rhythmically with him again, he crashed his lips on hers and continued to pound his cock into her. She was almost at her climax when she screamed "ERIC", he grunted and knew she was close and Lord knew he was right there with her. A couple of long, hard thrusts later and her inner walls tightened even more around him, he held on for her as he squeezed his eyes shut and then they came together, both moaned as their hot love juices combined, both saw stars. A few more thrusts to slow down their actions and they just laid like that, trying to catch their breaths still slightly moaning from the sensations that they both just ensued.

He removed himself from her after just listening to each other breathe, she moaned at the void between her legs but now came her next favorite thing, cuddling in Eric's arms, her feeling of safety. They got up, went to the bathroom, got a drink of water and put on some p.j.'s and crawled back into bed and spooned.

"Baby, you're the greatest. I love the way you make love, your moans, and the way your eyes sparkle, how your accent thickens when you're feeling really sexy."

"I love you, your body, the way you know how to make me speechless and how you just can read my mind. I also love the feeling of safety." As she said the last part she grabbed Eric's hand and pulled it over her body, interlocked fingers so that his arm was around her.

"I like making you feel safe, and when I'm with you I feel safe as well."

Calleigh turned slightly so that her upper body was almost flat on the bed, "I love you with all of my being."

"I love you with every fiber of mine forever and always."

They kissed and she turned back and snuggled into him, fingers still locked he squeezed her into a hug and kissed her hair.

"Good night my love"

"Good night Eric, I love you"

With that they slipped into dreamland. Calleigh dreamt about their future, Eric proposing, a white wedding, a house with a picket fence, and a couple of kids. No Russian mob to worry about, no worries basically at all.

Eric on the other hand dreamt about a black velvet box that he would spend four months pay on in his night stand drawer under certain things so incase she was looking around, it wouldn't be obvious unless she picked up everything in that drawer. But then, his dream turned on him.

_**Translation: **_

Meirda~ shit

**I hope that this chapter being so long will make up for my failing to update sooner. Please review I love hearing what you think!**


	5. Finding Nemo

**To anyone still reading this I know there is a few, here's the next chapter. Please R&R, I was upset at last chapter's lack of reviews, was it that bad? Please give me feedback, the good, the bad, the ugly, the pretty!**

* * *

Eric was lying under the boardwalk that was less than a mile from Calleigh's house, he had taken refuge there because it was close to the girl of his dreams and he could keep a close watch on her. But also it was a place that at night it was hard to see someone. Eric was smart and dug a hole for his body to fit in so if the Russians found his hiding spot, he would have the upper hand. This particular night Eric was having trouble falling asleep. He couldn't get what just happened with his blonde goddess out of his head. She loved him; she actually said she loved him. He wished that the Russians weren't after him because at this moment he might be making love to the most beautiful woman he knew inside and out. Eric started going over what happened after she said the three little words he has been waiting for her to say and a smile came over his face, he was starting to get aroused thinking of what could've happened that night, he thought of what happened other nights after work when she just fell into his arms at home. Calleigh was a freak in bed, or anywhere for that matter. Eric thought about a couple years back when word slipped out when Calleigh and Hagan where going out, that they broke Hagan's car's moon roof. Eric thought about that time when he and Calleigh had sex in an alley near a bar they just came out of. Eric was of course use to this from his toothing days, but Calleigh was a little bit more nervous. When she said that she wanted to get out of the bar and make love she didn't mean where they could get caught, but Eric reassured her if they did it quick and quietly there would be a lesser chance of being caught. Calleigh relaxed and her naughty girl side kicked into full gear. She pushed him up against the building, her emerald green eyes turned a dark green, their lips locked and she started unbuttoning his shirt, she leaned into him and kissed his neck and she said "Baby, with you I'm never quiet and I love taking my time with you". Eric couldn't believe he was getting her to do this, her first real public sexual encounter and she was taking over like she invented it! "Not this time sweetheart, we can do it again when we get home and take our time then." She smiled a very mischievous smile and nodded. He flipped them and ran his hands up and down her sides and then finally dipped his hands underneath her shirt and then up to her breasts, his mouth dove for her chest and kissed and licked every inch of her skin that her shirt was exposing. Calleigh grabbed Eric's face and pulled him up to her and they engaged in a hot, steamy, passion filled, tongue dueling kiss. Calleigh raced to get Eric's undershirt off and then helped him with hers, Calleigh ran her hands all over his naked chest and arms. He moved her bra strap out of the way to continue his assault on her body. Little kitten mews came from Calleigh and he took a step back to look at her, her head was back against the building and her one hand was in her own hair scrunching it in her hand. This action drove Eric nuts and it was about time he stopped fucking around and just do it before they got caught for indecent exposure and possibly lose their badges and jobs. She started to undo his pants and he knew she was on the same wavelength. He was really happy that she decided to wear a skirt, he picked her up and pushed her hard against the wall, she wrapped her legs around him. Eric kissed her and she reached in between them to move her underwear out of the way for him to begin his attack on the lower region of her body. All of a sudden Eric heard a noise that snapped him out of his dream. He heard Russian voices; he took his gun out of its holster and cocked it, ready for whatever was coming to him. He saw a flashlight and knew he was fucked. A low growling sound came from the darkness, as the flashlight got closer to Eric he got more nervous but the growling got louder and a dog ran and kicked sand up in Eric's face. He couldn't see, not good in this situation. But Eric heard the dog attacking the Russian men, and Eric heard the men yelling and yelled to each other to get out of there. The dog chased them for a bit but came back to Eric. He knew the dog well, he was a stray they named Nemo, and he lived on the beach, and always came to Calleigh's door for food. Eric knew he was protected for awhile at least. The daylight hours were a little more difficult, luckily Calleigh had wanted the deck underneath to be covered so her beach things and patio furniture could be stored away somewhere for hurricanes and such. He undid the combination lock and stayed there. He thought about staying at night too so that night he stayed hoping he wasn't putting her in danger.

The next night he went back to the boardwalk, a different area then when he was first hiding out at. He carved out his hole and tried to go to sleep, he was hungry though and dreamed about Calleigh making him a sandwich. He couldn't go to her, he wanted to keep her safe so one night under her deck would be enough. He started to drift off when Nemo came up to him and nudged him. "Hey Nemo, you hungry?" The dog just looked at Eric. "Yeah, me too. Why don't you go to Calleigh's and get us both food"? He laughed as Nemo just lay down next to him. "I don't want to bother her either". Again Eric started to drift off into sleep when Nemo started to get agitated and stood up. Eric heard a low growl come from Nemo and then he shot out from under the boardwalk like a bat out of hell. Eric cocked his gun and Eric heard the sound echo and a man's deep laugh. "Delkotorsky, we have been looking for you". A heavy set man was pointing a gun at Eric's head.

"How did you find me" Eric said.

"You being a cop are not very clever in finding hiding spots".

"We searched for you last night and found your old spot and figured you might be stupid enough to come back" A thinner, younger man said.

Just then heavier Russian bound Eric's wrists behind his back and grabbed his weapon, he picked Eric up by his arm and they started to walk to the ramp to get to their van on the other side of the boardwalk when Nemo attacked the skinner Russian. The stray dog, bit and gnawed at the man's leg. He struggled to get the dog off him, the man finally took his gun out and pistol whipped the dog on the side of the head. The two men dragged Eric to the van. They spoke Russian thinking Eric was just of Russian descent and couldn't understand what they were saying.

"Stupid boy, can't understand what's going to happen to him"

"He might think we are going to kill him, but we just need him to get under the skin of that boss of his and then we will run Miami"

The two men continued to talk as Eric tried his hardest to work his way out of his restraints. Luckily his Boy Scout instincts kicked in and he got his hands free, the sliding door was unlocked. Eric turned to look at the two men and said out loud in Russian, "Stupid Russians" and jumped out. The two men looked at each other and tried to stop the van immediately. This gave Eric a head start; after he tucked and rolled he got up and started running. But he falls and one Russian catches up and turns him over and grabs his shirt. "Nice try Russian boy, but you're not getting away this time".

* * *

Eric woke up from his nightmare and quickly sat up in bed, panting, sweating. He looked around and saw that Calleigh was still in peaceful sleep with a smile on her face. She was so perfect and innocent looking and somewhat clueless as to what had fully happened to Eric when he was on the run. He got up and went to the bathroom and splashed his face with water. He put his hands on the counter he looked in the mirror, still panting from his dream. Well it wasn't a dream but more like him reliving his experience. Eric thought about the rest of that day, how he ran to Horatio's house and called him. Horatio met Eric and they decided for tails to be put on him and on Calleigh, because that's where he felt the most comfortable. Horatio asked about how their relationship was going and he said it was great except with the mob after him he and Calleigh couldn't have any time together. Horatio said that Eric shouldn't worry there will be tails and security on the two of them and around Calleigh's house, and to make dinner for his lovely girlfriend and tell her she had the day off tomorrow. Eric smiled and thought about last night's events and he couldn't believe how much love he felt for the blonde southern belle in the next room. Eric went into the kitchen and noticed it was getting lighter out and saw something on Calleigh's deck that made him rush to the door.

"Nemo!" Eric said as he opened the door and let the stray inside. "Hey boy! You ok? You took a big hit from that guy huh?" Nemo licked Eric's face, and Eric laughed and turned to the fridge to make him some food with leftovers that Calleigh had in her fridge. As the dog was gobbling the food down Eric made some Café Cubano coffee. Then he heard her clear her throat. He smiled and turned around.

"Hey beautiful, sleep well"?

"You know I did, with your big, strong arms around me". She moved closer to him as she said this and glided her hands over his arms. She kissed him and then went to kiss him again but teased him by pulling away and said, "I told you that dog wasn't to come into our house".

"Babe, I know but he did save my life, and he's hungry".

"Baby he's dirty and God knows what he's got, he is very cute though". She looked into Eric's big brown puppy dog eyes. "Ugh ok listen if you can clean him up, today we'll bring him to the vet and maybe, just maybe we can adopt him. Nemo would you like to live here with us"?

"Wait, our house? Live here with us"?

"Yea… I've been thinking Eric, umm you're always here and then you won't need to waste money on your apartment".

"Calleigh, I would love to but, I… I…" Eric nervously rubs the back of his neck. "It's not that I don't want to, I love you, but, I don't want to mess up what we have".

"Oh, ok… umm I need to shower". Eric noticed the tears that formed in her eyes and saw a lone tear fall on to her newly redden cheeks and knew he had to say something else.

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**Sort of a cliff hanger… So what do you guys think? Please review!! **


	6. Grandma Lillian

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Sorry this chapter is late, I had a hard time wih this chapter. It was silly really. Anyway, happy reading...

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**Previously on "The feelings of Safety"**

"_**Yea… I've been thinking Eric, umm you're always here and then you won't need to waste money on your apartment".**_

"_**Calleigh, I would love to but, I… I…" Eric nervously rubs the back of his neck. "It's not that I don't want to, I love you, but, I don't want to mess up what we have".**_

"_**Oh, ok… umm I need to shower". Eric noticed the tears that formed in her eyes and saw a lone tear fall on to her newly redden cheeks and knew he had to say something else.**_

* * *

"I just, I know what moving in does to people in a relationship because I've done it, and I can't lose you now… you're way too special to me to lose. If we have any kind of future together I… I just don't want this to be our ruin". Eric said feeling her pain but hoping his spoken truth would ease the sting of him declining her offer.

She paused and crinkled her forehead then looked at him and her face relaxed. "Ok Eric… I'm sorry. I love you". She flashed her infamous smile and walked away still feeling a little hurt but more understanding that he really did care about her unlike the other guys she dated.

"Don't be sorry, and hey, I love you too." Eric knew she was too special and didn't want to lose her but he also knew that the divorce rate was higher if couples lived together before they get married. She flashed him another smile but more genuine and walked back over to him wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him. He hugged her back and rested his head on hers because she didn't have her heels on so she was that much shorter. Eric loved it when she wasn't in her heels; she fit that much better in his arms. Calleigh pulled back and looked her boyfriend in the eyes, licked her lips and went in for a kiss. Eric on the other hand licked his lips as well and went in for a kiss but ducked down at the last second to her neck and slowly kissed and sucked on her pulse point. She playfully slapped his butt and he finally kissed her on the lips. "Querida… I think you should… get in the shower… we have a big day…" Eric said to her in-between kissing her. She turned around and started to walk away, Eric quickly grabbed her hips and pulled her back, so her back was against his chest. He whispered in her ear that she was the most beautiful creature on earth and to take a quick shower, they had most of the day together but after dinner he needed to do something with his sisters. Calleigh cocked her head to the side and gave him a look. "Baby I can't go in the shower if you're holding on to me." They laughed and Eric let go, he watched her walk away swaying her hips, she looked over her shoulder and smiled devilishly and swayed her hips even more. She knew what it did to him and that was the point.

She got out of the shower and put on her bathrobe and towel on her head to dry her hair. She walked into the kitchen for another cup of coffee, and then sat on the couch waiting for her hair to dry and to finish her café cubano. Eric came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her neck; she titled her head to give him more room for his kisses. He let go and came around the front of the couch and sat down, he was only in a towel as he just got out of the shower. Calleigh put her mug on the table and flipped her head forward and rubbed the towel on her head and took it off so her hair could air dry, no need to straighten it today as she had a whole day with her favorite man. When she sat back up she noticed that Eric had her mug in his hands and was looking at her, not in the face but where her bathrobe had slightly fallen open. She blushed a little, closed the robe and took her coffee back from her lover.

"Aww, come on Cal!"

"Eric, if you want it that bad, get your own, this is my coffee"

Eric smiled, laughed a bit and looked down on the floor, "I don't care about the coffee, I was enjoying the view". He reached over and opened her robe a tiny bit and she smacked his hand away.

"MmHmm, and you get to see that view every night. Didn't you say we had a lot to do today? I am still worried about the Russians if we go anywhere public".

"We've got tails on us sweetheart and we do have things to do but not a lot, so we can…" He leaned over and starting kissing her lips. After a short but deep kiss, Calleigh pulled away, "What are we doing first?"

"Well, I was enjoying what we were doing, and where it might have led to." Eric said as he ran his hand along her thigh underneath her robe. Calleigh sat back and raised an eyebrow and allowed him to continue his slow assault on her thigh. Calleigh put her mug down on the coffee table, put her hand on his chest and pushed him down into a laying down position on the couch. Her green eyes turned to a deep emerald sparkling shade. She straddled him and started to loosen the tie of her robe. Eric watched wide eyed, she leaned forward and pinned his hands on either side of his head. Calleigh slowly leaned forward until she was mere inches from his face. He closed his eyes and waited for her soft full lips upon his. But that never happened and he furrowed his brow and opened his eyes. There she was the most beautiful woman he ever laid eyes on smiling at him. "What?" Eric asked not understanding why she was smiling.

All of a sudden Calleigh bursts out laughing, her laugh echoed through the house, he smiled but still curious as to why she laughed. With a laugh like hers it was impossible for Eric not to smile. When she stopped laughing she kissed him and got off him and pulled her robe tight. "You think you're going to get an 'afternoon delight' in the morning and when we have things to do… I don't think so Delko." She winked at him and helped him up, she embraced him and whispered, "If your good, and come home early from doing whatever with your sisters, I might have to be punished for being naughty from teasing you like I just did." Calleigh's southern accent came out real thick and she winked and turned to go to the bedroom to get dressed but Eric grabbed the front of her shirt by her stomach. She turned back and saw him look at her with a straight face. "I might not come home tonight. I think I'm going to stay at my own crib. It's just that this thing with my sisters is a big deal and it might take awhile. Can I get a rain check and forgiveness?" He looked at her with puppy dog eyes.

Calleigh looked at her sexy Cuban and saw the seriousness in his beautiful brown eyes. He hurt her again within a matter of 2 hours. "Anything for you babe." She smiled and turned to walk away. He still held onto her shirt, he pulled her back quickly and kissed her so passionately that she thought her knees might give out. "Wha- wha- what was that for?" She asked feeling a bit lightheaded and speechless still from the kiss.

"Cause I know I just hurt your feelings again and I'm sorry. I- I just really have something really important to do with mi hermanas." He kissed her forehead and said he loved her. "I love you too Eric." He let go and they got ready for the day.

* * *

"Nemo… come on boy, we are going for a ride!" Calleigh yelled out the back door. They jumped in the car and drove to the vet. The doctor checked the dog out and said to the two that if no one claims the dog in 30 days they are free to come back and take him. Eric opened the passenger side door and held it for Calleigh as she got in. As he got in she turned and asked what they were doing for the rest of the day. "Can you have anything a secret?"

"Seems you've been keeping a lot of secrets lately."

"Hey, when the time is right you'll know, I promise. It's killing me not to be able to tell you."

"Well, is it anything that will get you hurt, or take you away from me? Because I can't lose you."

"Sweetheart, trust me? Please?" Eric took her hand and kissed it.

"I guess I have to keep trusting you to do the right thing." Calleigh said looking out the window and feeling a little disappointed.

Eric drove them to the park, she turned to him and looked questionably at him, he told her to wait there and he ran out and opened the trunk and took out a blanket and a picnic basket and ran around to her door and opened it and put out his hand. She took it and he helped her out of the car. They walked hand in hand to a part of the park where they were able to have peace and quiet but still people could see them and have a romantic lunch. Calleigh helped Eric lay out the blanket. She couldn't believe that he was such the romantic type; she didn't know he had it in him. He had sweet tea (that he made himself from memory of how she makes it), strawberries and a couple of peanut butter and fluff sandwiches cut up into 4 triangle pieces. He fed her a couple of strawberries and when she bit into a juicy one, some juice ran down her chin, she went to wipe it away but he caught her hand, he moved in and kissed the juice off her chin and followed the juice line to her mouth. It was the most sensual, exotic, and tantalizing feeling, none of the other guys she dated ever thought of doing this. Even though she was a very tough woman, she was still a woman. She liked being treated like one, and not just a hard-ass CSI, even though that's what she wanted people to think. Underneath her rough exterior there was a girly girl that wanted to wear dresses and get flowers and have a boyfriend treat her like she was the only woman on earth. All of a sudden a thought from earlier this morning came to her mind. She pushed him away and asked "Babe, do you think we have a future together, like I mean a long future?"

Eric just laughed and said "I don't know, I hope so, let's not talk about this, it took you long enough to finally be mine. I just want to focus on the present."

"Ya see Eric there you go again, being secretive about your feelings. I thought we weren't going to have anymore secrets, I've never known you to be like this, what's going on?"

"Cal, like I said before you will know when the time is right."

"Fine, let's finish lunch so you can take me on our next adventure." She said a little annoyed, she had a thought in her head and had to talk to Natalia later.

"It's just dinner, at the house, we have time. My sisters are making it for us."

Calleigh just looked at her man; he had her melting for him all over again. "Why are you so adorable?"

"I was born that way." He said smiling.

Calleigh laughed and rolled her eyes, "You're a jerk."

"But I'm your _adorable_jerk." He emphasized. They finished lunch and put the basket and blanket back in the car. "Shall we take a walk me lady." Calleigh nodded and they walked through the park hand in hand. They feed the ducks and talked about the Russians. They went back to Calleigh's where the smell of Cuban cuisine filled the house. It was just delicious. They ate by candlelight as they held hands and looked lovingly into each other's eyes. When dinner was over he helped clean up and walked to the front door. She followed. "Lock the door tonight. I love you and see you tomorrow at work."

"I will, call me when you get to your home. I love you too. Have fun and say thank you for dinner and hello to your sisters and parents for me."

"Will do." He kissed her and walked out the door.

* * *

At the Delko house

"Mami, we made it so romantic, candles everywhere. Baby brother should be worshiping us after this whole day with what we are helping him do tonight!"

"Anamaria, he asked for your help, not to take control. Please remember that this is a big deal in any man's life, do you remember when you…"

"Ma? Anamaria? Nina?" Eric said as he entered his parent's house.

"In the kitchen baby brother." Nina responded.

As Eric entered the kitchen he kissed his mother and his two sisters. "Thank you both for dinner, Calleigh loved it and said to say 'hi'."

"What about me, mijo?" Carmen said.

"Of course Calleigh said to say 'hi' to you and pops." Carmen smiled. She really loved Calleigh and after hearing about her for over 10 years who wouldn't?

"Well my children, you better get going, Eric you have the picture Mr. Duquesne sent to you?"

"Yes, mama, now finding someone to replicate it will be difficult. It was her grandmother's, she has told me time and time again how she loved her grandmother."

"With a girl like that, I'm sure she has a lot of love to give."

"Eric, what did her father say when you asked?" Anamaria asked. Eric recounted how the conversation went a couple of months ago.

_Eric picked up Calleigh's phone and put her dad's number in his phone saved it and put her phone back where she left it. "So what do you think about that?"_

"_With what?" Eric said mot realizing she was talking to him. _

"_About me going out with Natalia and Maxine tonight?"_

"_Great, good, sounds awesome, I fully support girl's night out."_

_Calleigh looks at Eric with concern. "What's the matter with you lately?"_

"_Nothing." He looked at her and shrugged._

_Later that night after Calleigh went out, Eric stared at the phone. 'It's now or never Delko'. He flipped the phone open and scrolled down to 'Mr. Duquesne', took a deep breath and pressed the call button._

"_Kenwall Duquesne"_

"_Mr. Duquesne, this is Eric Delko, I work with Calleigh."_

"_Yes, we've met before. Is my lamb chop ok?"_

"_Oh yes sir, yes she is."_

"_Then why you callin' boy?"_

"_Sir, I don't know if your daughter said anything to you about the two of us, has she?"_

"_I remember the two of you are best friends for many years and she speaks very highly of you. Now that you mentioned it I think she's said you two have been dating is that correct?"_

"_Yes Mr. Duquesne, we have been dating for a while."_

"_Good. You're a good man Eric Delko. My daughter is quite taken with you."_

_That made Eric smile. "Thank you sir, I am quite taken with her, that's the reason I…"_

"_You know those other boyfriends of Calleigh's never where up to my standard. But you boy, I've never heard her talk about another young man as much as she talks about you! That's a lot to deal with making the transition from best friend to boyfriend. How are you adjusting to it?"_

"_Well thank you. You and my mother should talk because she heard and sees a lot of Calleigh. (Duke laughed). We are still best friends sir but now we umm…"_

"_Sleep together." Duke interrupted. "It's ok, you can say it. My baby girl's grown up. She's got a good head on those shoulders of hers."_

"_Yea"_

"_So why'd you call."_

"_I wanted to ask you a question Sir."_

"_Well spit it out."_

"_Mr. Duquesne, I love you daughter very much and I can't see my life without her in it. I promise that I will never hurt her and I will care for her when she is sick. I have loved her since the first time I laid eyes on her and she spoke. Her eyes and her accent just captivate me. There is no other woman in the entire world that I could ever love this much. My heart aches each time I have to leave her, but it jumps and skips a beat when I see her. So with your permission sir, I would like to ask your daughter to marry me."_

_There was silence on the other end and Eric's heart was beating so loudly. _

"_Sir?"_

"_I heard you boy." Eric could then hear sniffling on the other end of the phone Eric had to say something._

"_I'm not going to ask her to marry me right away, I still want to get the perfect ring and wait till the time is right."_

"_Eric, I told you before how much my daughter must care about you every time she calls home. I also know you're a very good man with a good family and… well… what can I say but, welcome to the family son."_

"_Thank you sir." Eric felt a wave of happiness come over him._

"_Eh son.."_

"_Yes sir?" _

"_Calleigh has this grandma, her mother's mother who she loved very dearly."_

"_I've heard her talk about her, Grammy Lillian right?"_

"_Yes, well she had this engagement ring that Calleigh adored. When she died the ring was left to Calleigh but we never found it. She was devastated. I wish we did so I could give it to you."_

"_Well, sir do you have a picture of it? I may be able to get a replica made of it."_

"_Son, now I know why my lamb chop is so taken. I'll find the picture and send it to you."_

"_Thank you sir."_

'_Eric, thank you for being gentlemen enough to ask me."_

"_You're welcome sir. Good night."_

"_Good night son." Eric liked being called son from Duke, although he knows Calleigh's past with him it made his dream of making Calleigh his wife that much more real._

"Mijo, what a touching story."

"Does she suspect anything?" Anamaria asked.

Eric laughed "she suspects something, she got mad at me a couple of times today and a few times before the Russian mob, so I think she might think I'm cheating on her."

"Eric! That's awful. What makes her think that?"

"Well I told her this morning that I couldn't move in with her that I wanted to keep my apartment…"

"Because of the high divorce rate?" Nina asked

"Yes but the real reason I think she got suspicious is because a couple of weeks back I got the picture in the mail from Mr. Duquesne, I had to get to the mail first as to not tip her off that I spoke to her dad. That was one hell of a race to the mail box. And tonight I'm going to plan out how I'm going to propose, so I told her I wasn't going to sleep over."

"Baby brother, that poor girl. Mami lets have Calleigh over for dinner one night to prove we still car about her." Nina said giving Eric a look.

"Nina that is a great idea, Niños, go to that jeweler to get that beautiful ring."

* * *

The three Delko's went to a jeweler Eric called and he was a specialist in replicating old pieces of jewelry. Eric handed the blown up picture to the man.

"This is such a pretty ring. You said on the phone that you wanted a two carat princess cut diamond, then the smaller diamonds circling the princess cut to be half a carat?"

"Yes, that's what my girlfriends grandmothers ring was."

"Ohhh, sentimental value, I see. Which one of you is the lucky lady?"

"Neither these are my sisters. Also you said that you could do some engraving on the inside of the ring right?"

"Oh I'm sorry ladies; yes I did saw I could engrave it. What would you like it to say?"

"With every fiber of my being."

Anamaria and Nina both looked at each other smiled and squeezed each other's hand.

The jeweler wrote all the information down and said "She must be one special woman."

"Yes sir that she is."

"If you like I also do custom made wedding bands."

"No thank you, I'm getting my grandparents wedding bands."

"Well alright, your ring should take about a month and a half to two months. We'll see you then."

"Thank you." All three said and walked out. As they were in the car going back to their parents house Nina said "Papi is giving you the bands? They are so beautiful, I wanted them."

"Nina, you have very pretty bands and Anamaria has beautiful ones too. When I showed Pops Calleigh's grandmother's ring he said 'they were meant to be in my possession.'

* * *

"Nat? Hey it's Calleigh."

"Hey Cal, what's up?"

"You know we found Eric, news spread around the lab like wildfire. We tried to keep it quiet but it didn't work."

"Yea, I heard, Ryan told me."

"Well…" Calleigh started to tear up and took a deep breath.

"Calleigh what's wrong?"

The tears couldn't stay in her eyes anymore and came crashing down as Calleigh let out a sob and her voice cracked, "I think Eric's cheating on me."

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Hmmm not quite sure this is a cliff hanger... but it might... Anyway please review, I really want to know what everyone thinks, good, bad, and anonymous reviews welcomed!!


	7. Bad choice?

So this is a change for me, a new chapter in a short amount of time. I have some of ch 8 all written but maybe I'll get it posted faster if I get atleast 7 reviews!

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"Oh, Cal, I don't think Eric would do that to you. He's been through a lot, with the Russians and all."

"It started before the Russians. He's just been sneaking around, like this one time we had a race to the mail box."

Natalia laughed "For what?"

Calleigh laughed as well and she wiped tears "I don't know I always get the mail, and he wouldn't let me, I saw there was a big manila envelope but Eric took it, and never saw it again."

"So you think he's cheating on you with someone that sent the envelope?"

"Oh, I don't know, lately he's been very secretive and I asked him to move in but…"

"Cal that's great!"

"No, he said he couldn't, he didn't want to ruin any kind of future we have."

"So what's wrong with that?"

"Something is up with him and I just… I just don't know if I can be with him anymore."

"Calleigh don't say that, you and Eric are the perfect couple. Let me see if I can get something out of him!"

"Thanks Nat, you're really a great friend."

That night Calleigh waited for Eric's call even though she was upset with him she wanted to know if he was ok. 12:30 at night Calleigh was crying herself to sleep thinking what she did wrong in her relationship. The one man that she thought truly loved her was slipping through her fingers.

Nat walked into the fingerprint lab, smiled at Eric and dove right into questioning him, but started off with easy questions, like how's your day, how does it feel to be back at work, etc. He continued with his work but had a strong feeling she had ulterior motives. Then his hunch became reality, "How's Calleigh?"

"Nat, why are you asking me that when I saw you talking to her 20 minutes ago? What's going on?"

Natalia knew she was found out but didn't want to give in that quickly. "Delko, what makes you think there is something going on, I just want to know how things are going with you and her."

Eric scoffed and said "No you don't, what's going on with you two?"

Natalia gave in and said how Calleigh called her last night crying thinking he was cheating on her, and if he was cheating on her, it's not fair, playing with her emotions like that. "Well are you cheating on her?"

"That's none of your business, if Calleigh wants to know, she's a big girl and can come to me and ask, since it is our relationship." Eric said looking a little hurt. "Now please excuse me but I need to see H about something." He moved past her in a huff and found Horatio.

Eric asked if he could talk to him in private, it was important. They moved into his office and H immediately turned and asked if this was about his relationship with Calleigh. "It is H, it is."

"Ok, Eric, what's going on? You seem… you seem very serious about this. I hope you didn't break up, I really think you two are meant for each other." He asked sitting down and twirling his sunglasses in his fingers.

"No, it's nothing like that, I… umm well H, I… I called Calleigh's dad and asked to marry her."

Horatio studied Eric's face and from his judgment he said with full confidence "Congratulations Eric! But I have a question, why are you telling me this?"

Eric smiled and looked down and then looked at H with the most serious of eyes, "We both see you as a second father, well third for me, but I know Calleigh looks up to you and I just wanted to come by and ask you."

"Well Eric, thank you, I give you my blessing. I think you two should have gotten together long ago but I am very excited for the two of you." He smiles at him and they shake hands. Eric gets up and turns and sees Calleigh and Natalia looking at H's office, they quickly turned on their heels. The guys look at each other and laugh. Eric leaves and passes the girls, "Ladies," he says as he passes.

"Nat, something's up, now Horatio is in on it I think."

"You don't know that, I'm going to get you that info."

Later that day Natalia found her way into the fingerprint lab again and she was asking questions about the case until… "Eric, I'm going to come right out and ask you again, are you cheating on Calleigh. No bullshit, just give me a straight answer."

Eric sighed, he knew he wasn't going to shake her, "Ok, ok you got me" he smiled, she looked shocked. "But it's not what you think, I've called Calleigh's dad and asked H, for their permission to marry her."

"Oh, Eric…" She began to say, gave him a big hug and smiled very brightly, "out of everything that I thought and Calleigh thought, a proposal never came into the equation. I don't know what to say. She will definitely be surprised. But she thinks your cheating on her, you need to do something."

"There's nothing I can do she's mad at me and I am having people constantly calling me about the ring and I don't want to tip her off."

"Ooh what's the ring look like?" Nat said trying to find out more.

"I don't think so, when the time is right you'll know. Oh and Nat, don't tell anyone."

"Aww, Eric…"

"Fine, tell Wolfe, your little boyfriend but no one else, especially Valera!"

"Deal." She smiled brightly again and hugged him before she turned and walked away. She walked down the hall to DNA and ran into Calleigh.

"Hey, so did you get anything out of that man? I saw you hug him."

Natalia looked nervously around. "He's definitely not cheating on you, but other than that, I don't know." She hated to lie, but she didn't want to ruin the surprise for Calleigh. Calleigh looked at her friend in disbelief. "Hey, he's not cheating on you. But if he's keeping something from you, believe me everything will come out when he is ready."

Calleigh rolled her eyes, "I don't like how he's sucked you into his secret and you aren't telling me." Calleigh walked out

Eric had done sweet little things so that she would get the idea that he was cheating out of her head, it really didn't work because it just made her speculate even more. A couple of months later they were getting ready for dinner at his parent's house, Eric goes into bedroom as Calleigh continues to talk about the case she had that day, and shopping she did with Natalia. "So you like this dress, it's new; Nat said I had to get it."

* * *

Without even looking before he went into the bedroom he said, "I love it babe." He pulls a black velvet box out of the back of his drawer she had given him, looks at it, and opens it up and smiles. He had day dreams of slipping this ring on her slender finger. He heard her say to him "Please come on, I don't want to be late for dinner. I want to help your mom and sisters." Eric smiled and put ring back in his drawer. He really needed to take this back to his apartment so if she did his laundry she wouldn't accidentally, he took it back out and put it in his pocket. He found her by the front door and stopped dead in his tracks. She looked so beautiful, although he didn't voice his feelings. He kissed her deeply and wrapped his arm around the back of her waist and says he loves her. Calleigh pushes him away, rolled her eyes, and told him again they better go or they were going to be late.

While helping Anamaria and Nina, they talked about life, their kids, and work, when the subject was changed to her and Eric. How they don't go out with them very much anymore and that they have noticed Calleigh acting very distant toward Eric.

Getting a bit annoyed with the Delko sisters "Ladies, the reason these past few months I have been distant is because I have a hunch about something."

The sisters looked at each other, then down at what they were doing. In unison they spoke up and said, "He's not cheating on you." Calleigh was surprised they had come up with that since she had never voiced her concern. "How did you know I was going to ask that?"

Getting nervous again Nina nudged Anamaria who said they just figured because of the way she was acting. "Just please Cal, our little brother wouldn't do that to you. Don't get in a fight with him about it. Things soon will come out in the open."

Calleigh scoffed a little. Unbeknown to the three young woman, Carmen had heard the entire conversation. "Calleigh, mi hija, come take a walk with me please." They walk out the door and don't speak for awhile.

"Carmen, where are we going?"

Eric's mom didn't answer, "Trust my child, is very important in a relationship. Love is a very powerful emotion, and I see it in both mi hijo and your beautiful eyes. There is no greater feeling then love and being loved in return. I heard you speaking to the girls about Eric's possible infidelity. Why would you think my Eric is cheating on you?"

"Just the way he's been acting, sneaking around. My friends and the girls know something and obviously you and Pavel do too. I asked him to move in and he wanted to keep apartment because 'he didn't want to ruin any kind of future we have together'. He's keeping something from me, and I don't like it. He knows I have trust issues and he is putting a lot of strain on our relationship, and I don't know if we can have a future together."

"Calleigh, how long have you and my son been going out?"

"Almost a year."

"You've told me before when Tim was alive that you trust Eric with every fiber of your being, just trust him. Eric is not the kind of man that would cheat on you. He has been in love with you for years. Give him his time to sort out what he is doing, he will tell you when the time is right. Just give him his time. He waited for you for so long, just please give him his time to tell you. Don't push him away."

They were rounding the corner and coming up to the Delko house, had they really walked around the block already? Calleigh looked at Carmen "Everyone keeps telling me that Eric will tell me in his own time what's been going on. I honestly don't think I can wait around anymore. I love your son so much, but I don't think I can keep waiting." The rest of the way both women became quite quiet. They had a nice dinner and talked about family, friends and upcoming holidays; Calleigh hardly said one word and pushed her food around her plate. On the way home Calleigh and Eric where very quiet, he looked over at her and went to speak, but stopped himself. The two had entered her house without a word. Calleigh walked into the living room and started pacing. Eric tried to reach out to her but she pulled out of his reach.

"Are you cheating on me?" She said low enough because she had felt her tears prickling at her eyes. She went against the advice of everyone and took it in her own hands. Calleigh just had to know the truth herself.

"Are you still on that? No I am not."

"Still on that? I wasn't aware you knew I was thinking that."

He looked her dead in the eyes, "When I'm ready to tell you what's happening I will."

"There's that statement again, I hate that. I think you are cheating on me, I think you have gotten tired of me, we haven't made love in God knows how long and I think you are starting or started to make your moves on other women."

Eric starts to get mad, how many times can he tell the woman he loved that he wasn't cheating? There are no other women in his life but her. "Honestly Cal, if you don't believe me then you don't trust me with every fiber of your being."

Now Calleigh was getting really mad almost shouting she said "How can I when you've been secretive lately and you have a past of going from girl to girl. I've never known you to be in a long term relationship with a woman as long as we have, and for what the last six, seven months you've been acting suspicious. What am I to think Eric? How do I know you're not tired of me?"

Eric was the one fuming now; he couldn't believe the words coming out of her mouth. He licked his lips and tried to calm himself down to prepare what he was going to say. "I have never once been in love with one of those girls or any girlfriend except you." She looked at him questionably. "Yes that's right, Eric Delko, the big playboy has never been in love with anyone except the woman in this room. We haven't made love lately because I don't want to push you; I don't want angry sex with us, otherwise it is just sex. That's not what you and I do. Twelve years ago I wanted you, but I got to know you, and we became best friends. I fell in love with my best friend; Speed always teased me about it and said you were out of my league. I saw that you went for the same kind of asshole and Speedle said not to interfere, my time would come." Eric started to get worked up again and with each word that came out of his mouth he kept getting angrier trying to prove to the woman that held his heart, she was his one and only. "After Speed died I thought I lost my chance, I didn't know when 'my time' would be that I would get the chance to just holding hands, taste your sweet kisses, make love to you, share long nights of us and waking up to see your beautiful face sleeping next to me."

Calleigh rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. This made Eric really mad.

Screaming he said "Don't you see? When I got shot everything changed! My eyes were open and I finally understood what Speed said, this WAS my time, but that asshole Jake kept getting in the way. I finally realized and admitted to myself that I loved you! I stopped hooking up with random girls, for you! I wanted you to see that that part of my life was over; I was ready for a relationship! But you kept fucking around with that bastard!"

She looked at him and recounted what happened after he was shot in the head, something inside her changed too. But Jake was there, he was comfortable and safe at the time. Calleigh didn't know Eric was so passionate about her. The truth hurt. He did stop fooling around after he was shot, she noticed him looking at her more and more. That day after Jake came by the lab and kissed her with no regard as to who was around; she was above cloud nine, until she saw Eric. Guilt had taken over her; her best friend had just seen an intimate scene in her love life. She didn't know why there was guilt. Now she knew, in this moment, she knew. Tears started to run down her cheek, the truth she was so scared to admit to anyone was about to come out. "Eric, I'm sorry. Jake was comfortable and safe at the time, you and I were best friends. That's all I thought of us, well not really. I dreamt that you would be the man for me, but I could never admit that. When you got shot in the head I was so scared for you, I thought I was losing my best friend, the only man that treated me like I wanted to be treated, the only man that made my heart flutter just by hearing you talk or someone mentioning your name." She was losing control of her tears as she went into full crying mode. "I hate that we have been so close as best friends but now that we are in a relationship it's just getting to be too hard. I don't know if I can do this anymore."

Eric hated to say it, but it was something they both needed. "I think we should take a break from the relationship. Give each other time." He turned to leave as she crumpled to the floor and her sobs got bigger and louder. Eric closed the door and he heard her crying. He sat on her front porch swing and listened to her as he cried himself. He honestly didn't care if her neighbors heard him. The woman he loved was hurting because he was keeping the fact that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. A couple of minutes later he stood up and went to her door. Her cries had softened, he put his head on the door and whispered "I love you, always have, and always will." With that he walked away.

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A couple of days later and Eric has tried to talk to Calleigh, she didn't want to hear what he had to say, "As far as I'm concerned Delko, 'we' are no longer when you walked out my door." He was pretty hurt by her words and the seriousness in her eyes. The team decided to grab some drinks, Natalia and Calleigh were in the locker room and she had asked Calleigh because she just hadn't been herself lately. Calleigh kindly declined and said maybe another time. Nat had said they would be at Brennan's. She nodded and said thank you and she probably wouldn't change her mind, "I'll probably go home change into my pj's and watch a movie."

Natalia nodded and knew her friend was hurting. Placing her arm around her in a half hug she said "It will all work out Calleigh, have faith." She turned and left meeting Ryan outside in the hallway he looked in, half smiled, waved slightly and held the door for Natalia as she came out.

Calleigh goes home and looks around the house, for a year she had called her home theirs. Tonight had marked a year that they had been a couple. She wonders if Eric even remembers, _of course he would, didn't you hear what he said. He's been in love with you from the start. _She starts to feel bad so she goes and changes out of her work clothes and goes to the bar.

Everyone's at the bar, and Eric's sisters and brother-in-laws came too. They were seated in the back of the bar in a big round table. Eric interrupts everyone's conversations, stood up and said "So seeing how this is my one year anniversary to the most beautiful woman in the world, sorry Natalia, Maxine, Ana and Nina…" Laughter is heard from everyone. "I had wanted to propose to her tonight, but she had to accuse me of cheating. I wanted to come clean to everyone, I wasn't cheating." He started to feel tears welling up in his eyes and he stopped himself for a bit. Natalia, who was sitting next to him, took his hand. He smiled politely at her and continued. "I was teaching a night class to inmates that wanted to turn their lives around to buy this…" He pulls the little black box out of his pants pocket, placed it on the table and sat back down. Tears fell silently from Eric but not unnoticed. Looks were given all around the table when Horatio took it and opened it up.

Eric found the courage to speak, "her grandmother had one just like it. The ring was left to Calleigh when her Grandma Lillian died. No one could find the ring and it devastated her. When I called Duke to ask for his permission…" He wiped his eyes and tried to hold back more tears from coming out. "When I called Duke, he told me about it and sent me a picture in the mail." Natalia put the pieces of conversations with Calleigh together.

"That's why you had to run to the mail box."

"Yeah, what a waste, she doesn't even want to speak to me now."

"Eric I, I beg to differ. I think you need to go to her and tell her what you've been doing." Horatio said as he passed the ring to Maxine.

"I don't know what to say Eric, I'm speechless, which you know never happens. It's so beautiful, I agree with Horatio." As she passed it to Eric's sisters and brother-in-laws, they asked if he had shown their parents.

"Of course." He said while trying to smile. They passed the ring to Ryan who looked at the ring and looked at him.

"You call me a softy. Eric it is one of a kind. You should go see her." Ryan then passed it to Natalia.

Natalia took hold of the box, she gasped. Everyone looked at her; she had tears forming in her eyes. Eric looked at her and smiled. That was the reaction he was hoping for but from his blonde southern belle. "Eric, she would love this. You need to do what Horatio said, you need to see her, tell her, go there and do what you were supposed to do."

Calleigh walked into the bar and saw the group. Her feet couldn't move her, all of a sudden she saw Eric pulled Natalia into a hug and she had her head on his shoulder. She saw the loving way Eric was caressing her, rubbing her back. Natalia picked her head up and placed a kiss on Eric's cheek. With that sight, Calleigh straightened her posture and turned around quickly. As she was opening the door to leave the tears fell from pretty green eyes, when she reached her car, that's where she let out big cries. When she finally calmed down enough she reached in her purse and pulled out her cell phone. She knew she shouldn't but she dialed Jake's number.

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OOOHHH cliff hanger!! Hahaha like I said review and I might update faster!!


	8. Is that a no?

Thanks guys for the reviews!! I really do love that little slice of love in my email box! Again, I can't believe I am updating this quickly! Please tell me what you think, I hate to beg for reviews, but I really do rely on them. You guys give me ideas and it makes me write faster. I hope you love this chapter as much as I do, and props to those who can find "The Notebook" connection! Again thank you to all my loyal reviewers! All of you who just read this, dont think I'm not looking at the traffic of my story, I know how many of you read it, and I just want to thank you as well for making my story even remotely popular. Thank you all for the love!

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Calleigh looked at Jake's number and was about to press send when she laughed and thought there had to be an explanation why Natalia was all over her boyfriend. Nothing good came from Jake. Well, something did, but Eric had made it much more special. She erased his number. She didn't put her phone away though; she went into messages and started a new text. She wrote "we need to talk" and sent it to Eric.

Eric felt his phone vibrate, he took it out read it and put it away. He would answer her later. After everyone had finished their drinks, it was late, everyone was saying good night when Nina came up to him and said, "Calleigh texted you, didn't she?"

"How'd you know?"

"Your face lit up a little and big sisters always know."

Eric laughed and asked what he should do.

Anamaria came up behind Nina and said "Listen to what she has to say, she listened to you. Then follow your heart. Do what you think is best for you and her."

The Delko sisters smiled at their little brother and both gave him hugs. Eric didn't know what to do. He walked around for a little bit, it started to sprinkle out. He knew what he had to do; he had to talk to her, but tomorrow. Eric got in his car and drove home, when he walked into his front door and closed it behind him he leaned against it. He took his hand and ran it over his head. He walked into his living room and sat down. His eyes traveled to his entertainment center. He got up off the couch and grabbed the picture frame that matched Calleigh's in her house, he sat down. In his collage, he had the same pictures because Calleigh had given it to him, but the biggest picture was one that Eric changed for one he loved better. Anamaria had taken the picture unbeknownst to Calleigh and Eric. She gave it to Eric for a birthday present. He loved it because it was candid and in black and white. Eric was standing holding Calleigh with her arms wrapped around his neck and her legs wrapped around his waist. She was taller than him and they were kissing. He had never showed Calleigh because he wanted to give her a blown up picture of it to hang above her bed. But he never did. He might never get to now. He texted Calleigh to come over tomorrow, when they both had the day off.

It had started to rain outside as Calleigh was at home waiting for a reply from Eric, she changed out of her clothes and into clothes she was going to sleep in. What she was wearing was Eric's U of Miami t-shirt and sweatpants. She read his message. She really wanted to talk to him tonight. With tears in her eyes she bit her lip. She made a split decision and grabbed her keys and locked her door and ran to her car so she wouldn't get that wet.

Eric had turned on the tv and gotten up to make a sandwich and a drink, he noticed the rain was really coming down outside. He went back to the living room and heard his phone chime, reminding him he had a text message unread and waiting. "She didn't need to respo-", he read her response. "No." _What the hell does 'no' mean?_ He hoped she wasn't out driving, it was really pouring outside. He tried calling her cell, straight to voicemail. He tried her house, no answer. Just as he was about to call her again he saw headlights shine into his first floor apartment window. He ran to the door and flung it open almost taking it off the hinges. She stepped out of her car and spotted him in his doorway. He came out onto his lawn. The rain had stopped pouring but it was still heavy enough that they were already soaked. Both dripping wet, she yelled to him.

"Why didn't you fight for us? When I said I couldn't do this anymore, why didn't you fight me?"

Eric took a few steps closer and stopped. "I was always fighting for us. I never stopped. The secret I have been keeping is for you."

She moved closer and stood in front of him, she looked up at him and blinked away the rain and tears. "For me? We shouldn't have secrets, if you love me as much as you say, there should be no secrets. Why was Natalia all over you tonight?"

He looked at her and his eyes fell to the ground. "You saw that? I never meant to hurt you." He couldn't speak anymore, tears rushed to his eyes.

She was very upset and said "I'm done."

Calleigh turned and started to walk away when he said, "This is not how I wanted to do this but I can't have you walk away from me again." She turned around to see him drop to one knee and pull out the black velvet box from his pocket.

"Eric…" She whispered as more tears than rain was being blinked out of her eyes.

"Calleigh, for as long as I've known you, you have been my friend and then later best friend. I admire you for not being afraid of the person you are, for making your dreams happen in a male dominated field. I admire the way you always help others in need. I love the way you let your guard down and let me in, I love the way you love me with all you have. I love that you helped me so much when I first got shot. I adore how you think, work and play outside the box. I find it irresistible how you can be such a hard ass at work, and come home to me and be this loving, girlie girl but tomboy as well. I absolutely love that I fell in love with my best friend and she fell in love with me. Please Calleigh; do me the honor of letting me be your husband and best friend forever." With the last line being said Eric opened the box revealing the replica of her grandmother's ring.

Rain dripped off both of their faces as she gasped, her eyes widened and she sent her hand through her wet hair absentmindedly. She bit her lips, closed her eyes and hung her head. After a few seconds she picked her head up and looked at him with still more tears than rain falling from her eyes, "Never in my wildest dreams." She stopped and didn't look like she was going to continue. He looked at her with tears falling from his face now; he got up off his knee and looked down at the ground. He couldn't face her after he was rejected by the only woman he really truly loved. She let out a small cry and said "Would I even dream of saying no to you." He looked up at her and noticed she was smiling, he smiled too. They walked over to each other's wet bodies, tears of happiness now fell from the couples eyes. He wrapped his arms around her waist and she did the same around his neck. They looked each other in the eyes and then their lips and back up to their eyes. They smiled brighter as Eric finally bent his head down to capture her lips. The first few kisses were short chaste kisses, they pulled apart and Calleigh's left hand let go from around his neck. "How did you... how…?"

He just smiled as he slipped the ring on her finger, she looked at it and looked at him, "I love you so much, I'm so sorry I dou-"

He kissed her lips passionately, making it impossible to finish her sentence. When they parted they where breathing very heavy. The seriousness of what just happened set in, they kissed again as a flash of lightning lit up the sky and thunder boomed. It snapped the couple out of their happiness phase; they laughed and decided to go inside. As they walked towards Eric's apartment hand in hand, he bent down to her ear and whispered "Nice outfit baby." He kissed her on the cheek and she rolled her eyes, smiled and playfully smacked him on his ass. "Love means never having to say you're sorry, oh, and happy anniversary."

As they entered his apartment they took off their shoes and just as he was about to let go of her hand when she squeezed his hand harder. He turned and looked at her; her face was so much brighter than it has been in the past couple of months. "Happy one year anniversary to you too." She pulled him back to her, smiled and stood on her tip toes to kiss him. She shivered. He looked at her and knew she was cold, he led them into his bedroom and took out another pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt. Calleigh put her hands up in the air. Eric smiled and grabbed the bottom of her shirt and pulled it up and over her head, she threw her head back so her wet hair wouldn't be in her face. Eric went to put the sweatshirt on her when she stopped him. She unhooked her bra and dragged one strap down her arm, and did the same to the other strap. She threw the bra on the floor where he put the shirt. Eric looked at her topless body, he smiled, leaned in for a sweet little kiss, pulled away and pulled the sweatshirt over her and kissed her again. He found the edge of her sweatpants and pulled them down, she held onto his body that was crouched down as she stepped out of them. He looked up at her and smiled his infamous Delko smile. He reached for her thong and pulled them down too. He placed a kiss on the inside of her left thigh. He helped her step into the dry sweatpants, as he stood up she captured his lips with hers. She absolutely loved that she could be naked around him and he didn't pounce on her like she was the last woman on earth like her other boyfriends did. She knew that this was the best relationship she was ever in, the only one she had ever wanted. She helped him get out of his wet clothes, but she only put on his pants for him. She wanted him to be shirtless because she missed seeing his caramel toned upper body. He went into the bathroom and gave her a towel to dry her hair. She had left a hairbrush in his bathroom the last time she was here. While she did that he made coffee.

Calleigh sat on the couch; he handed a coffee mug to her and sat next to her. She looked at her ring and looked at Eric. "You never answered my questions."

"What? Oh, hmm well I was telling the team I was going to give up, Nat was consoling me, and everyone said I had to propose, that we belong together. So here we are."

"I'm glad you listened." She said smiling at him and kissed him on the cheek. She draped her legs over his lap, and propped her back up against the arm of the sofa.

"About the ring, I know that is a question of how I knew about it. I called your dad to ask for his permission to marry you, he told me about your grandmother's ring and I asked for a picture. He sent it in the mail, in a manila envelope."

Calleigh's face froze, "You called my dad? That was months ago that I saw that envelope. What have you been doing all this time, how did you pay for this ring?"

"Sweetheart, one question at a time. Yeah I called your dad. I wanted him to know that I wanted to marry his little lambchop, and I wanted to do it properly because you are southern, and southerners like things traditional. I took a second job, teaching a class to inmates that wanted to turn their lives around. It was at nights after work, sometimes later. That's one reason why I didn't want to move in with you, I didn't want you to know I had to get a second job to pay for the ring of your dreams." Her face softened as she looked down at her ring and smiled.

She laughed, "You know me too well. I love you so much." Her face took on a more serious tone, "Eric… since we have no secrets anymore I want to tell you that I was about to call Jake earlier tonight."

He looked at her and raised an eyebrow. He nodded his head for her to continue, he didn't know what to say.

"But I didn't, because I kept hearing your words that you said to me over and over… _"__Yes that's right, Eric Delko, the big playboy has never been in love with anyone except the woman in this room."_ I held on to that, that's what kept me from hitting the call button."

He leaned over and kissed her forehead, with his lips still lingering on her, he whispered "I love you, forever and always. I hope this proves that to you." As he said this he took hold of the ring on her finger a continued to say, "Don't mention his name, please. Not now anyway. He's your past and I'm…"

She cut him off "You're all of my past, present and future." She smiled and he kissed her.

"Good, let's go to sleep, I'm tired and you must be too."

Once in bed they spooned, before sleep over came them he whispered in her ear, "Good night Calleigh Duquesne, I love you."

She smiled and without skipping a beat, sounding very sleepy "It's the future Mrs. Eric Delko to you, good night, I love you too."

Eric smiled. _The future Mrs. Eric Delko_. He liked the sound of it. He snuggled up to her and fell asleep.

The next day Calleigh woke up and rubbed her eye with the back of her hand. She scraped her eyebrow with her ring. She would have to remember that she has a ring now. _My ring, my engagement ring. _She looked at her ring and looked at Eric. She took a big breath in and out her nose. She turned back and stared at her ring some more. The events of last night still fresh in her mind, she turned to face him. He was still sleeping. She loved watching him sleep. She moved her hand up to his face and she stroked his face, his head over his very short hair cut, his scar on the back of his head, she stroked his arm and repeated the process of waking him up. He only stirred and changed positions so that he was lying on his back.

She frowned because she missed the closeness and the protection he provided when he lay on his side. Calleigh all of a sudden got an idea and raised her eyebrow as she grinned evilly. Her hands were usually cold in the morning, so she straddled Eric's sleeping body down by his knees, she slowly snaked her hands down his pants till she was very close to her target. Knowing full well that he would be mad, she placed her cold hands near his penis. His eye's jolted open and he sat up. His eyes landed on his beautiful fiancée, he looked with a straight face at her and shook his head, her hands still down his pants. "Not a cool way to wake me up babe. Why didn't you wake me up the way I used to wake you up?"

She smiled, "Well I sort of am." They both look down at his pants, and laugh.

"I guess, but mine is more loving, and my hands aren't freezing!"

"Hmm we haven't woken up together in a long time; I think you're going to need to remind me." Calleigh said thickening her southern accent, raising her eyebrows and smiling that oh-so-sexy grin of hers. Eric could see her eyes turned emerald in color. It had been a couple of months since they made love. He sat there thinking that he was about to make love _his_ _fiancée_. She looked at him, at his eyes, his lips. She moved her hands a little, and he came back to reality. He smiled and kissed her.

"Hey, that's not how you wake me up!" Calleigh said and threw her bottom lip out and pouted.

Eric couldn't resist anymore, he flipped her off his legs so they where spooning again. Calleigh yelped with surprise and excitement. He ran his hand over her arm, her hip and leg. It had be a very long time since he ran his hands over her curves like this. He closed his eyes and ran his hand back up, he breathed in her scent and shampoo. Once more up and down her curves and he found the top of her pants, he dipped his hand inside and moved his hand side to side as he slowly went lower and lower. She moved on to her back the way she always did when she was coming out of dream mode, but this time she was smiling. "Hey, you're supposed to be sleeping, no smiling." He whispered as he dipped one finger into the outer folds of her most intimate part of her body. He found her little bundle of nerves; her head went back as he continued to assault her clit. He started slow, and went faster and faster, her eyes squeezed tighter together as she gripped the bed sheets to her right and reached for his arm and she held her moans in her throat, he slowly brought her down by slowing down. He leaned forward and kissed her. He moved his hands and slowly removed his sweatshirt from her body; she opened her eyes when nothing happened after "her" sweatshirt was off.

"Eric?"

"Sorry Querida," He kissed her quite passionately and he pulled back to finish his sentence with some tears building up in his eyes. "When I took my sweatshirt off you, I caught a glimpse of your ring, and suddenly all of this became so real to me."

A silent tear came rolling out of Calleigh's eye as she leaned upward to capture her fiancée's lips; she bit his bottom lip and swiped her tongue against his lips to ask for entrance into his mouth. As their tongues danced she reached for his pants, he helped her and soon his pants were thrown to the foot of the bed. It didn't quite reach the floor where "their" sweatshirt was, but who really cared at this moment. His erection grew larger for her, he wanted her so badly, but wanted to take his time. His kissed her lips, then her cheek, jaw, her neck, down to her collar bone, her upper chest; he kissed right in between her breasts and right above her navel. He had to stop because her sweatpants were in the way. As he hooked his fingers in the material and moved it down one inch every time, he kissed a new patch of exposed skin. She felt as if she was on fire with each kiss he placed. Once the pants were disregarded and fell onto the chair across from the foot of the bed, he kissed his way up, but he kept his eyes on her face.

She kept her eyes on him as he made his way back up slowly. The eye contact became too intense for but she knew that she needed to knock down those final remaining walls, and let him in fully. She swallowed hard as more tears built up and were on the verge of falling. She was breathing heavy trying to regain her composure. He knew what she was doing and he was grateful. He felt her vulnerability, he kissed her lips, she blinked and tears fell. He smiled slightly and kissed her tears away. He didn't want to do anything until she was ready. She knew it and she wasn't quite ready yet anyway. He held her and kissed her shoulder, neck, right below her ear, her temple, and when her tears fell he kissed those away.

When she had felt that her walls had completely fallen, she had nothing but even more love and respect for him, for loving her all these years, and not taking advantage of her in that state of vulnerability. He petted the other side of her head and waited until she gave the go ahead. Calleigh had pulled her mind out of her recent thoughts and realized what she set out to accomplish this morning. She wiped her eyes and laughed. She looked at him and kissed him.

"There's my girl." Eric said trying not to sound condescending.

"I'm sorry you had to wait for me for so lo-"

Eric kissed her and in between saying "What did… I tell you… about saying… you're sorry?" Eric lowered his head to her neck and started his assault there.

"Love is having to never say yo-" Again Eric stopped her from talking when he shoved two fingers into her slickened opening. She moaned and complained a little, not having time to prepare for the invasion.

As he pumped his fingers into her, kissed her and watched her face with each pump, he said "Rhetorical question." His breath was hitching as hers was as well, each pump of his fingers made her moan with pleasure, he was getting her close to the edge. Her stomach muscles were fluttering; he saw this and knew she was that much closer. Calleigh arched her hips for him to go deeper, his thumb smashed against her clit. Calleigh screamed with pleasure. Eric was so glad he had a corner apartment. Her inner walls crashed down on his fingers, he continued his assault harder and faster, rubbing her clit in circles. He kissed her lips just as she was about to cum. She moaned and gasped for air, just as Eric felt the warm liquid come into contact with his fingers, he slowed down, not stopping just slow enough that she got frustrated with him.

"Eric… I swear… I will…I will…" she moaned and her stomach fluttered again. She tried to regain her breath and finished her thought. "I swear… I will… shoot you!" Her green sparkling eyes looked at his adoring brown ones.

He smiled and moved in between her legs. As the tip of his penis rubbed the outside of her vagina she closed her eyes and she felt her lower stomach go rigid. He waited for her to open her eyes so they were both vulnerable when he entered her. As her eyelids fluttered open, she looked at him. This was the man she wanted to spend every day, every week, every month, every year, waking up next to. She nodded and as he slowly put the tip in, and little by little as she got use to his size. They never took their eyes off each other. It was the most intimate feeling, in more ways than one. She bit her lip as he filled her completely and then some. He started kissing her as his right hand took her left breast and massaged. He thought she was ready and started to move, when she stopped him by placing a hand on his chest. She couldn't speak; she shook her head as her stomach fluttered yet again.

He continued to massage her breast and lowered his head to her right nipple. He sucked and playfully bit it. Calleigh finally moved her hands down his arms. She wasn't used to this, after months of nothing but her blue sparkling vibrator, that didn't really compare to him. She also wasn't used to this because she was on the bottom. Almost every time she was on top. She moved her hips up to meet his. He looked up from her breast and smiled his infamous grin. He kissed her nipple and left it to go for her lips, they started a slow pace in both where they were intimately joined and in their kiss. He moaned into the kiss and she repositioned her leg higher on his hip. This brought Eric in deeper, and she moaned. He picked up the pace as his hand went back to her other breast and massaged it. She moaned and had it linger as her nails dug into his back, he grunted and kissed her again. He moved to her neck, sucked on it, kissed it and whispered sweet nothings to her and still picked up the pace. Moans and soft mewls echoed in the tiny bedroom of his apartment. Eric felt his stomach start to harden and he tried so hard to hold on for her. He slowed down a bit to try and control himself; he reached in between them and found her little bundle of nerves. He rolled it in his fingers, once, twice, and a third time. He finally felt her walls tighten and he picked the pace back up. As his bed crashed against the wall over and over again, her moans became louder as he moved her legs higher. He hit that precious spot in her body, and as if she thought he couldn't take her higher, she screamed out his name and squeezed the bed sheets and threw her head back further into the pillow. He nipped at her neck. With a few more thrusts, her hand flew up to his shoulder and dug her nails into his skin. He grunted and couldn't hold on any longer. Luckily he put his fingers back on her little package of nerves and rolled it again and that was her undoing. She gave in first and he wanted to hold out just a few more thrusts and he let go too. They both came and looked at each other. There was so much desire there that they kissed very passionately even though their breathing was so erratic. Their lungs burned for oxygen. The broke away, closed their eyes and listened to each other's breath evened out.

"Thank God I have the day off. I can feel my legs hurting already."

"Well I told you if you continued to do yoga, this wouldn't be a problem." They laughed and he winked at her. He took her left hand and looked at the ring, kissed her hand and said, "What about a spring wedding?"

"That's too close, why not next fall?" She said turning to him, she dotted kisses on his chest.

"What? Summer just ended! I have to wait a whole year to be your husband?"

She looked up and kissed him on the nose. "There are just things we need to work out before we can get married."

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Thanks again everyone for reading, if you don't mind, please just review, it really means a lot to know if you love or hate the story. Please don't be afraid to tell me what you truely think! Thanks so much!


	9. Slow down, stop rushing this

"Like what?" Eric asked not knowing what she meant.

"Well like what do we do about work, do we want a big or small wedding, color schemes and flowers and what not, but most importantly where are we going to live. I mean we can live here but if we…" She didn't want to continue her thought out loud.

As if he read her mind, he kissed her forehead and looked her in the eyes, "Hey, I told you once that if I met the right girl, kids would come into the picture. You said I'd make a great dad, I think you'll make an excellent mom." His brown eyes sparkled as he looked at her.

"All along, I was your right girl, wasn't I?" He nodded and dotted kisses on her forehead, the bridge of her nose, the tip of her nose, down to her lips, her chin and eventually found his destination as he laid kiss after kiss, and little nips on her neck. "I was hoping I would be, and was upset to think of you having kids with someone else. But I can't help to think that with my family history…"

Eric kissed her lips to interrupt her; he sat up and turned to look at her still lying naked in bed. "Don't ever think that because of your childhood that your mothering abilities won't come naturally to you. I've seen you with my nieces and nephews and kids that are part of our cases. You've got something special, and I honestly can't wait to have kids with you, as many as you want one to one hundred."

Calleigh sat up and met his eyes, "Not one hundred, two or three sounds good. How did I get so lucky finding you?"

"The question is how did I get so lucky finding you?" He ducked his head down and took her in a long, deep passionate kiss; tongues dueled to take control, she started to lean back down to the bed in hopes for another romp around the bed when he stopped. "Let's go for a run, we haven't run together in a long time."

"Eric, my legs are hurting me from before." She looked down and smiled into her chest. "A run would kill me and then tomorrow at work; people might talk about why I'm walking funny."

"So let's take a walk, stretch these beautiful sexy legs of yours." He ripped the sheets off her and ran his hands down her uncovered legs. He kissed them and got up off the bed. He kissed her and she rolled her eyes.

"Ok, ok, walking Mr. Delko, and we need to stretch. A lot." Calleigh said as they made their way into the shower together.

After stretching their bodies and Eric helping her stretch more, they started to walk around his neighborhood. He gave her a small bag as they walked; it had a plain long silver necklace in it. Calleigh stopped as she opened the bag and he put the necklace on her and they started to walk again. "What's this for babe?"

"I got it for you so when you go to work." He said smiling, knowing she was not going to get the meaning behind it. He decided to tell her instead of letting her guess. "To put your engagement ring on, to hide it under your shirt."

Calleigh held it in her hand at her chest, it was definitely long enough for her to wear one of her low cut shirts and still be able to hide the ring. She smiled because she hadn't thought about her ring at work. But he had. She was certain that she did not want to have anyone know she was engaged because she didn't want anything to point to Eric. Well she would let those that mattered know. She made a mental note to call her daddy, Horatio, Natalia and Alexx as soon as they got home. She had no doubt that Ryan would hear about it from Natalia.

They walked around the block and then started to move further away from the safety of his neighborhood. "Eric, the Russians?"

He lent down to her ear to make it more secretive, "Don't worry sweetheart, our tails are following us." He stood back up, smiled and winked at her.

"Ok, sweet pea, here's another question, what happened to Nemo, our little beach doggy?"

"Well, Miss Duquesne," He started, "Don't call me "sweet pea" I know you use that term when you are angry, upset, or agitated. Please don't be uptight, I had gotten a call a long time ago saying no one claimed him and he was ours."

"Again, it's the future Mrs. Eric Delko." She said flirty and took hold of his arm. "I'm not uptight; I like to keep you on your toes. So where is our little boy?"

He smiled inwardly at her affection towards the dog. "He's been at my parent's house this whole time, because you and I have such crazy schedules that he is better there for now."

"He wasn't there when we had dinner."

"Yeah, Ana Maria had taken him because mom and pop were going out for the entire day the next day. They couldn't take care of him."

"Well, sweetheart, how are we going to take care of him? I mean he will be alone for most of the day. Neither of us have the proper space for a dog to be alone for the hours we work. I mean where is he going to stay Eric, unless we move in together? Have you really thought this through? I love him and I love you too but I don't think he'll have a happy life with us being locked up in a house all day. He's used to the freedom of the beach."

"Querida," He started and stopped them and turned her to face him holding her upper arms captive, she couldn't look at him. "The real reason why I don't want to move in with you is because the divorce rate for couples that move in together before they are married is much higher, then those who waited till after they were married." He said with passion and trying to get her to look him in the eyes.

"What?" She said looking at him in shock hearing him say divorce. She replayed his sentence in her mind again; _he doesn't want to get a divorce later on in life, that's why he was hesitant in moving in with me. He doesn't want to end up a statistic, like my parents._ Her heart swelled with love, she smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. They touched lips, and she whispered, "we are not like most couples. But I must have done something right in my life to be marrying the sweetest, caring, most wonderful man ever." Calleigh sealed her words with a kiss, then a few smaller short kisses as he smiled into them.

"I think you did too." He looked past her and smiled. She asked what was he smiling at and he said "Close your eyes." Eric flashed his sexy smile and she looked at him uncertainly. He leant down to her ear and sounded very seductive, "Please, future Mrs. Eric Delko?"

She looked at him and her gaze raked over his entire body, one corner of her mouth curled upwards. "Ok, but only because you called me by my out of work name." She said turning her cute little southern accent up a few notches, she closed her eyes and grinned.

He raised his hand up to her face, and with his index finger touched her forehead and moved a piece of her beautiful blonde hair out of her face. He smiled and kissed her lips. Calleigh pouted because she wanted more, but when Eric turned her around and told her to open her eyes there was a cute two story house in front of her with a for sale sign on it and on the top it said sale pending, but she didn't notice it. She was confused; she looked between him and the house. "Eric… this house is beautiful, what's going on? Why are we here?"

"Want to go inside?"

"How can we?"

He walked up to the door and put a key in it. They walked in, it was the most exquisite entrance to a house, she hadn't seen anything like that since she was back home in Louisiana in the richer neighborhoods. Eric just stood back and watched her reaction. Two doorways on either side of the grand entrance and a giant staircase ahead that spilt and went to either side of the house. One side was a formal dining room that went into a big professional kitchen with stainless steel appliances and a giant island that had bar stools on one side. The kitchen lead out to a small deck and over looked a larger deck and a big backyard. She walked back in and went to the other side of the house, a formal living room that lead down two stairs to what could only be described as a large den. The den had a sliding glass door that lead out to the lower deck. Calleigh went out onto it; she looked around the yard and smiled. It was big, it had a pool, a dog house and a dog run, and still enough yard to play in. Eric was leaning against the door jam and smiled. She came back and looked at him. She went to speak and he put a finger up to her lips. "Look at the rest of the house before you say something." She smiled and nodded. They walked up the first set of stairs, they stopped and she looked left and right. She chose to go to the right. He gently smiled and followed her up with his hand on the small of her back. There were four doors on the floor, she looked in one, it was a small bedroom, and the room next to it was slightly bigger. At the end of the hallway was a floor to ceiling window that over looked the backyard. The next room was a little bigger than the other two. All the rooms had boxes in them; obviously the family was in the process of moving. The last room was a bathroom with two sinks, a toilet, a shower and a bathtub.

When Calleigh descended the stairs and went up the other side, she turned back and waved him to come with her; Eric smiled and ran to catch up to her. When they met up she wrapped her arm around his waist, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. She put her head on his shoulder. There was only one door on this floor, and all the way down the hall was the same floor to ceiling window that mirrored the other side of the house. Back towards the middle of the hall, she turned the knob and walked in. She was faced with a wall that had pictures on it of who she could only think was the family that lived there. She rounded the corner and found another wall, smaller though, but it had a giant empty space, and a door. Calleigh smiled and thought she knew exactly what was on the other side of the door. She walked in and furrowed her brow; it was a giant walk in closet. She was confused, "Babe…"

"You missed the other side of the room." He responded knowing what she was going to say. She ran to the other side of the master bedroom and was faced with beautiful four post bed and built-in bookcases. She looked at the bookcase and noticed there was one book still in it. She walked up to it and tilted it forward. A loud click was heard; she smiled and pushed a small section of bookcase forward. Calleigh encountered a very large master bathroom. It had a jacuzzi tub, a steam shower for two, his and her sinks, windows that over looked the backyard, a toilet and a vanity mirror. She turned around to face Eric and found yet another door; she walked up to it, opened it and found a walk in linen closet that lead into a bigger walk in closet. She walked out and asked with speculation, "Eric, why did you bring me here?"

"I worked really hard with that night job, that I'm still working and to budget our money; sub-let my apartment so I'm going to be moving in with Nina and her husband, I have paid for your ring and found we still had enough wiggle room if we bought this house."

She looked at him smiled half heartedly and looked down. "Eric, this is way too fast, we just got engaged. Let's find a house together, something like this but something smaller. We don't make that much and there is no way we can ever afford a place this big, even if you are working two jobs. But thank you for trying." She put her hand on his cheek and started to walk out. Eric just stood there. After all he did to get the house down to an affordable price; he was not going to let this slip through his fingers. He ran out of the room after her, he stopped at the landing before the stairway. She was already on the second set of stairs.

"I already put an offer on it, it's a little bit more then what I wanted to spend but we _can_ afford it. I worked my ass off to get you this house. It's been on the market for so long that they brought the price down lower then what they wanted." He was angry and walked right up to her, "I did this for us!" He walked out and slammed the door.

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Please as always, Review!!


	10. We never close

Thank you to all that have reviewed and those that have been bugging me to update (Kayla). I'm sorry I haven't been up to updating because I was stuck. But I think, I really hope I am over that. Please tell me what you think, I really need to know, if I should continue or... Anyway I have a bunch of ideas so maybe it will be easier to update.

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**Previously:**

"Ok, sweet pea, here's another question, what happened to Nemo, our little beach doggy?"

"Well, Miss Duquesne,"... "I had gotten a call a long time ago saying no one claimed him and he was ours."

Eric turned her around and told her to open her eyes there was a cute two story house in front of her with a for sale sign on it and on the top it said sale pending.

"Eric, why did you bring me here?"

"I worked really hard with that night job, that I'm still working and to budget our money; sub-let my apartment so I'm going to be moving in with Nina and her husband, I have paid for your ring and found we still had enough wiggle room if we bought this house."

She looked at him smiled half heartedly and looked down. "Eric, this is way too fast, we just got engaged. Let's find a house together, something like this but something smaller. We don't make that much and there is no way we can ever afford a place this big, even if you are working two jobs. But thank you for trying." She put her hand on his cheek and started to walk out. Eric just stood there. After all he did to get the house down to an affordable price; he was not going to let this slip through his fingers. He ran out of the room after her, he stopped at the landing before the stairway. She was already on the second set of stairs.

"I already put an offer on it, it's a little bit more then what I wanted to spend but we _can_ afford it. I worked my ass off to get you this house. It's been on the market for so long that they brought the price down lower then what they wanted." He was angry and walked right up to her, "I did this for us!" He walked out and slammed the door.

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Calleigh walked outside and found Eric sitting on the front porch. "Baby, I know you did it for us. I want a house too, but can we find one together? One we both can see ourselves in for awhile? Maybe we can find one that has a dog run for our dog?" She smiled and searched his face for a little hope. He turned and smiled. He knew what she meant.

"Come on, race me home… your legs can't still hurt. I thought you were an experienced woman." He smiled and started walking backwards knowing she would be defensive and follow. Which she did, and he turned around to run. What he didn't expect was she was feeling somewhat better and brought him down police style. He groaned as he hit the ground.

With her knee in his back and his arms twisted behind him she whispered to him. "I am experienced, and you are too, but when my boyfriend doesn't make love to me in a couple of months, a girl tends to lose her flexibility. Now get up, big baby." She winked as she helped him up.

He brushed himself off and rubbed his arms. He smiled and swooped in for a kiss. "Hey, can we try that in bed?"

"Try what Eric?"

"Role playing. Good cop, bad cop. You could take me down anytime." He smiled and she shook her head, rolled her eyes and smiled. "Come on baby, race me home." He said as he pulled on her shirt that sat on her taut stomach.

"Eric, honey, I can't, I really exerted myself bringing you down. You can run I'll see you at the house."

"Ok, I'm going to go for a longer jog then, see some more real estate. I love you, bullet girl." He hugged and kissed her. He went to go but she still held him. "What?"

"I don't know I have a funny feeling. Be careful and don't go too long, ok?" He nodded. "I love you too Eric." She kissed him longer, she looked him in the eyes and he smiled and kissed her forehead and started running and was soon out of her sight.

When she reached her home she stepped in and still carried a funny feeling. She picked up her cell and called him. She heard it in her bedroom. "Damn it Delko!" She cursed him, the one time he didn't take his cell on his run. She waited for him. Dinner time came and went. This wasn't like him. She hopped in her crossfire and went around her surrounding blocks. She went all over looking for him, yelling his name. She called Horatio when she was on the road. He told her to calm down and go back home, he'd be over soon.

Calleigh went back to her house, nearly carved a hole in the floor from pacing. She knew that Rick Stetler might be involved in this and as soon as she got home she put her ring on the necklace. She didn't want the team to know just yet. She wanted to call her dad first. No time to do that now. She was too worried about her man to speak to anyone about their engagement.

Horatio came by with Frank, Calleigh explained what she and Eric did, that they went running together. Nothing revealing about their relationship, in case the walls had ears. She asked to speak to Horatio privately. "How could this happen if we had tails on us?"

"Well ma'am, there…" He started, and noticed she was absentmindedly playing with her necklace. A new necklace he never saw her wear, it was rather long for her taste but if he knew his CSI's like he thought, he knew exactly what was on the end of that chain. "There was a complication on the tails part, something got in the way of his visual and that's when we suspect Eric was taken." Calleigh immediately ceased playing with her chain, and looked at her boss. "I don't want you to stay here tonight without someone to watch you personally, not just a tail. Don't worry Calleigh…" He looked around and lowered his voice. "We'll find him. Don't let anyone see that, I've heard Rick is going to come around." He smiled

Calleigh looked down at her necklace and smiled, in a whispered tone she told him, "Please Horatio, I love him too much to lose him." He saw the hurt in her eyes and knew there was more on the line for her then there was for him. He promised he would find him for her and only her. His connection to Eric didn't matter, Eric's connection to the department didn't matter, H and his team were working a case were a woman discovered her best friend was missing.

That night at Horatio's, Calleigh tossed and turned. She couldn't believe this was happening, again. She got up and went to the kitchen to get a drink, when she turned around there was a gun in her face. "Oh, Calleigh, It's just you. I heard something and for a second I thought… you know what, it doesn't matter. You couldn't sleep?" Horatio said as he lowered his off duty gun. Calleigh exhaled and nodded.

"I just keep replaying today over and over, and thinking of what I could have done differently. I just can't do this Horatio, I'm scared." Tears fell from her eyes; it was the first time he really saw Calleigh cry. He was a little stunned and didn't know how to handle this. Sure the hard shelled Calleigh, but soft, emotional Calleigh he just didn't know how to comfort her. He did his best and hugged her. He was surprised when she hugged him tightly and cried harder.

After Calleigh calmed down a bit, Horatio rubbed her back and led her back to the spare bedroom she was staying in. "Calleigh, I will… The team will do our best to get Eric back to you safely."

There was that word again. Safe. Eric wasn't safe right now. She held him in her arms earlier that day and knew there was something wrong. If only she wasn't in so much pain that she could have ran with him. She's done it in the past, and yeah she hurt more then when they left, but Eric was always with her, safe. She tried to get a feel for him like she did when he first went missing. A shiver came over her body. No, he was not safe, not in the slightest. Morning came too quickly, Calleigh barely got any sleep. Her eyes were blood shot, swollen and she stared at the ceiling barely blinking. Her body still trembled with the last of the silent tears she cried when Horatio went to sleep.

There was a knock at the door as she said come in. Horatio entered and Calleigh sat up in bed pulling the bed sheets up to cover her body. Horatio told her there was some news from the lab. He was going down there now, but he wanted her to stay there, a uniform was watching the house and hers and Eric's tail was still watching.

When Horatio got to the lab, Ryan and Natalia met him at the elevator. "Ms. Boa Vista, Mr. Wolfe, what have we got?" He said taking his sunglasses off. The duo looked at each other with sad expressions.

"Well, H, we got a note that says to give the Russians, Sharova and $5 million dollars or Eric dies."

"Did they give a place and time to do the money drop Mr. Wolfe?" Horatio said as he twirled his sunglasses in his hands.

"Yeah, an abandoned warehouse on Flagler, 11 am. Three hours."

"Ms. Boa Vista contact the bank and have them put a tracking device in it, and get in touch with your friends at the FBI, I'd like to try something." Natalia nodded and ran off to do what she was told.

"H, What do you want me to do?"

"Mr. Wolfe, call Calleigh, ask her how she is, don't tell her anything no matter how much she threatens your life and then get to the A/V lab."

"Sure thing boss."

Everyone was running around the lab, setting up different things and making plans with Horatio. Just then Rick stood in the doorway. "Horatio."

H looked up and turned, "Rick. I was expecting you, I'm handling everything."

"That's fine but I need to speak to Miss Duquesne, and she wasn't at her house when we stopped by."

"I know that Rick, that's because she's staying with me while she deals with her best friend going missing."

"Best friend, is that what they are calling it now a days, because I'm pretty sure that's not-"

"Rick," Horatio said interrupting him. "They have been best friends for years, you know that. There is no other evidence that they are anything else."

Rick grumbled something under his breath. "I'd still like to talk to Miss Duquesne, Horatio."

He was about to say something when Natalia interrupted him. "Horatio, I've got my friend Ralph on the phone."

"Thank you ma'am." He gave Rick a look and took the phone and spoke with the man about a new technology that was proving to be an effective way to find a missing person with a ransom.

"Is everyone is position?" Horatio asked before he went in with the money.

"All set Horatio." Frank said. The Miami-Dade police department had the warehouse surrounded just in case there was a shoot out.

The Lieutenant walked into the warehouse with the bag of money. Horatio looked around and put the money down to take his sunglasses off. Out of the shadows a voice was heard, thick with a Russian accent. "You have the money and Sharova?"

Horatio listened to the voice to find where it was coming from. He turned and had his hand on his firearm. "You get Sharova when I get my CSI."

"That was not the plan Lieutenant Caine. You have not done good by your word." Horatio heard a gun cock and he took his out and cocked his own.

"I have your money and you will get Sharova when I get Eric back." Horatio said pointing the gun into the dark with his sunglasses swinging in his hands.

"Hmm, maybe you can keep Sharova and I keep your pitiful CSI. I'm not sure his girlfriend would like that." The man laughed sardonically.

"That was not the plan."

"Oh, Horatio Caine now wants to talk plans. Fine, you leave the money and give us Sharova when you find your brother-in-law, someone will be waiting." Horatio heard the gun cock again and heard nothing else. Horatio waited and called in for backup. No one could find the person Horatio had spoken with. He left the money on the ground and stood over it. He looked around the empty warehouse and silently prayed. He prayed that his plan in saving Eric would work.


	11. Dead or Alive

Sorry about not updating this sooner, I had another case of writers block and then got involved in getting ready to send my resume out... very nerve wracking... I'm pretty sure I'm over my writers block (knock on wood). Anyway Ch 12 is started and going well so far! I wanted to thank my loyal readers that read and review!

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"Yeah, Horatio, you're almost there."

"Mr. Wolfe, tell me… where is he?" Horatio asked as he and other police officers and EMTs run up the abandoned stairs of an old apartment building.

"One more floor up and about seven doors down on the right."

"Thank you, Mr. Wolfe." Horatio hung up the phone and ran to where the locating device was transmitting from and where the thermal imaging device was showing a heat signature. "Eric, we are coming, hang in there!"

The Russians had stuck the locating device on Eric when they found it in with the money. They didn't bother telling MDPD where he was because the police would figure out where Eric was just by tracking the locating device. When Horatio got the sixth door he slowed down, along with the mass of people behind him. He crept up to the seventh door and all made their way in. The apartment was clear, except the room Horatio stood in. He bent down to the body on the floor and felt for a pulse. Not that he needed to the body was so badly beaten anyone could tell the person was dead. It was very hard to make a positive I.D. but the body was wearing the same clothes as Calleigh described, same skin tone, height and seemed to have the same scar on the back left side of his head. Right were Eric's was.

Dr. Tom Loman, the M.E. came in and declared the body as dead. He would get an I.D. match when they got the body back to the morgue. But to Horatio, he knew. Horatio face the window and looked out to sea. "You… you put up a good fight Eric… good man, don't worry… Calleigh…" He stopped and swallowed hard, "Calleigh will be well cared for."

The entire abandoned building was checked and cleared. No sign of the mob or the money. Natalia came into the room where Eric's body was found, she didn't know what to say, but the lieutenant beat her to it. "Ms Boa Vista, call your contact and tell him to put the chip on. We need to catch these men… for Eric."

"Chip? You mean you had that new tracking device put in?" He nodded. "I thought that was still in testing."

"It is, but its got to be tested on something."

"H," she started to say in a somber tone, "we'll get these guys right?"

"We'll…" he started to shift his weight, and stood in his signature stance. "We'll get them good."

In one of the empty interrogation rooms, away from the others in the lab, cameras where set up and files where on the table in front of her. She nervously rolled her lips and fidgeted with her hands. On the other side of the table sat a man that no one at the lab liked, especially Horatio's team.

"CSI Duquesne please state for the record what you were doing with CSI Delko before he was captured." Rick Stetler, head of IAB, said.

"As I've told you before, CSI Delko and I were running, you know when two best friends work out together, talk about other things other than work."

"No, before that, it has come to my attention that he was staying in your home, I'm sure you are well aware of the no fraternization rules."

"Of course, how can I forget? Yes, CSI Delko is staying at my house; he's sleeping on my couch so it's easier for the undercover police officers to watch us."

"Ms. Duquesne, we checked your house, the couch had no sheets on it and nothing in the washer and dryer, so I know he wasn't sleeping on your couch."

"Eric Delko is my best friend and a colleague. I would not dare jeopardize my future or his future."

"What happened when Mr. Delko was captured?"

"I don't know, I wasn't with him then."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, I had sprained my ankle and couldn't run anymore, so I walked back to my house, Eri- CSI Delko ran ahead of me."

"So, going back to the running, did you two frequently… _run_?"

Calleigh stared at Rick and narrowed her eyes, she knew he didn't mean the physical act of running. "CSI Delko and I have been working out together for many years, it's how we are able to do our jobs and chase down criminals if it gets to that point."

Stetler sat back in his chair and narrowed his gaze on her. "That's a new necklace; did CSI Delko give it to you?"

"I don't see how that's any of your business."

"Well I noticed it is very low, not like your other ones that are much shorter."

Calleigh wanted desperately to shift in her seat, but knew if she did, he would know he was on to her. "Rick, may I see my CSI please." Horatio interrupted as he entered the room as quiet as a mouse.

"Horatio, this interview is not over." Stetler said standing up and walking over to the other man and sizing him up.

"Actually… it is." With that Horatio walked out and Calleigh followed behind. Horatio led Calleigh into his office and shut the door. "Sit down ma'am." He said in a very somber tone. Calleigh cautiously took a seat; she searched his face for answers. "I believe that we found him," he started. He stood in his natural stance, hands on his hips, sideways and sunglasses in hand. He couldn't look at her just yet, he looked out at the street, with all the county vehicles coming and going.

"Horatio…" She said her voice small and full of emotion. He closed his eyes. He couldn't stand to see his second in command like this, shattered and broken. "Please tell me."

"Well, when we got to him, he uhh…" He stumbled over his words as he tried to keep it together for her, for him, for them, for himself. "When we got to him, he was barely recognizable, but the description you gave me of what he was wearing was…" He turned and looked at her. She turned her head away, but before she did he caught her face, scared, heartbroken, like the end of the world has just come. Her face was tear stained and she held in her sobs.

"Is he…" She couldn't finish, she didn't want the words to leave her mouth. Calleigh grabbed her necklace and pulled her engagement ring out; she clutched it in her hand, held it up to her lips and kissed it, holding on to the last piece of Eric she would have.

"Calleigh, I'm sorry."

Calleigh nodded as she burst into unbearable sobs.

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Review please, I love all reviews, the good the bad and the ugly!!


	12. Exhaustion

Could it be? I have updated? I'm sorry, I had bad writer's block and lots have happened. Hopefully there is someone who still reads this. I don't know when I will get the next chapter up, hopefully not as long as it took to get this one up. Thanks for reading!

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Calleigh nodded and then burst into tears. Loud heart wrenching cries

"Horatio, Horatio!" Maxine Valera raced into his office. Out of breath the eccentric woman looked at her boss and the woman she's called a friend for years. Horatio and Calleigh looked at her with expectant eyes, "It's not him!"

"What?" H said not thinking he heard her correctly.

"The DNA from the man at the old apartment building, I don't know who it is but," She paused and looked at the two. "it's not Eric, and as far as I'm concerned there is no evidence that proves that he's dead, or even lost a drop of blood."

Looking to the brokenhearted woman, he made his promise again. "Calleigh, we'll…" Horatio slipped on his shades, took his sideways stance and looked out the window of his office." We'll find his this time. Alive."

She nodded and tried to smile, knowing he could either keep all of his promise or just half. She shook her head. Calleigh didn't want to think of that. There was a window of hope. She clutched the only connection she had left to him, her engagement ring. The last remnants of cries fell from Calleigh's lips and eyes. She tucked her necklace back into her shirt, stood up and brushed herself off and dried her eyes with a tissue Horatio had given to her at some point. "Horatio, I would like to help. I am not taking no for an answer, and I certainly don't care about Rick anymore, I'd rather lose my job then lose Eric. I'm not losing him Horatio."

He looked in her eyes and saw the fire that burned for his missing brother-in-law, their friend, her fiancée, "Calleigh…" He wished that she wasn't in this horrific situation. "I can't let you become involved, you know as well as I do it's a conflict of interest for all of us as it is, and I don't need Rick sniffing his way back to your relationship with Eric. Please," he paused, hoping that she would comply, "please just let us take care of this."

"No Horatio, I won't let yo-"

"Calleigh, I'm going to say this with the upmost respect, I will _not_ allow you to work this case. Sweetheart, at this point you are…" He stopped, cocked his head to the side, and thought of a better word then what he was thinking of. He hated to think of her as a _victim _but in a way she really was just like every other woman who had walked through the doors stating that their husbands, boyfriends, or fiancée had gone missing. Horatio knew she would not take kindly to being called such a word. "You are way too connected to this case and I would hate to see one of my best criminalists be taken down by Stetler for this."

His harsh tone had thrown Calleigh a bit. She knew he was doing this to protect her. She was struggling with the inner conflict she faced. She wanted Eric back now. She looked at her lieutenant and was about to try one more time to fight to help with the case in some way, any way. Horatio's eyes were full of sadness for her and his determination to find him took on a more emotional awareness. Calleigh saw Horatio was ready to fight her on this and if she were truly honest with herself, she just didn't have the energy to continue arguing with him. Calleigh swallowed hard and felt tears starting to form. "Okay." That was the only thing she had left in her, she had been defeated by her red-haired boss.

Horatio hated to see her that way, and at the same time interested after so many years of seeing the hard-shelled Calleigh, he was able to see the softer, more personal side that Eric was able to wrangle out of her. Calleigh pulled herself together and within moments became the strong, independent southern belle everyone knew her as and told him that if he heard anything to call immediately. He watched her leave. Horatio fled his office to find his other investigators.

A few days went by and things were looking grim. An anonymous tip came early in the morning. The tip was over the phone and asked for Lieutenant Caine. Before Horatio got on the phone, he told Tyler to trace the call.

"This is Lieutenant Caine, who am I speaking with"

"I found your missing CSI." It sounded like the person was using a voice changer.

"To whom am I speaking with" Horatio said with growing animosity.

"That doesn't matter Lieutenant, all you need to know is that he is badly beaten and in need of medical attention. He is in a house that the Russians use in Biscayne Bay."

"How do you know this?" Trying to keep the caller on the phone.

"For fear of my life, I will not say. Your CSI is at 145 Seminole Dr."

"Are the Russians there right now?"

"I've said too much already Lieutenant."

The phone clicked before Horatio could say anything else. He round-up his team, Tyler worked on the audio to find out who the caller was, some investigators went to the house and others went to the area where the phone call had been made from. SWAT had been called and divided to up to go to the two locations.

Ryan and Horatio went to the house that the caller told them about. Horatio gave orders, weapons at the ready, on his count they would go. "One…" He mouthed, "two…" he held up two fingers, "three, GO!" SWAT busted the door in, "Miami-Dade PD" was being yelled by the officers and SWAT. The pursuit of finding Eric in this new scene was on.


End file.
